


Among Us

by ShutUpKevin



Category: Among Us (Video Game), Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: A couple different killers. Different victims. Different survivors, But I didn’t spend a month of my life writing this just to let it waste away, I don’t know I think it’s ffffine, I tried my best sir, Important things to note, Is Among Us outdated now? Probably, Junko and Mukuro are playing as themselves, Male pronouns for Chihiro, Multi, Somewhat, This is in Naegi’s POV, This year featuring an Among Us AU, Welcome to Tyler’s 2020 NaNoWriMo novel, anyway so, that should be good, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:41:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 25
Words: 64,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27924694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShutUpKevin/pseuds/ShutUpKevin
Summary: Sixteen students are trapped in a spaceship, with four imposters among them. Will they make it out alive? Or will they all perish within the depths of space?
Relationships: Naegi Makoto/Togami Byakuya, other implied relationships
Comments: 81
Kudos: 143





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! And welcome to,,, whatever this is  
> Uh. I want to preface this by saying that this whole fic is. Pretty wack. It’s really messy, but as I’m posting each chapter, I’m in the process of cleaning them up because. I wrote most of this thing in November  
> Speaking of, the chapters are going to vary in length, ranging through about 2k - 5k. It’s. A lot. I am trying my best  
> Lastly, I don’t know how this happened, but by the end, Naegami is. Of heavy focus. I don’t know why that happened, but like. Yyyyyeah I’m sorry  
> Also, special thanks to my friend @WaterPopsicle for betaing this for me. You’re my little pogchamp /j  
> Anyway, here you go!

Hope’s Peak Academy. The most prestigious school in all of Japan. A place for the most gifted of teenagers— enrolled students being called Ultimates— to hone their talents and become the best at what they do. The only way for one to get in was to be scouted out by the school itself.

And there was Naegi Makoto, standing right in front of it.

Naegi was a typical, run-of-the-mill high schooler who was nothing more than average. His looks were plain, his personality was plain, _everything_ about him was plain. Most of all, he didn’t have an Ultimate talent of his own. He was simply chosen through a lottery, which made his title the Ultimate Lucky Student.

Standing in front of Hope’s Peak was, quite frankly, a surreal experience in and of itself. To think that someone like Naegi was going to be a student… the feeling inside him was overwhelming.

But there was no time to stand around and marvel at the school. The entrance ceremony was going to begin soon. “Come on, Makoto,” Naegi whispered to himself, trying to build the courage he needed to step foot into the school. “You can do this.”

Truth be told, Naegi felt as if he were inferior to the other Ultimate students. Granted, he hadn’t met any of them yet— but to still be chosen despite not having his own talent made his place seem undeserving. However, dwelling on it wouldn’t do him any good. Naegi took a deep breath, straightened his back, and entered the academy.

As soon as he stepped through the doors of Hope’s Peak, his body felt unnaturally weak. This wasn’t from anxiety or anything of that matter, it was something else entirely. The world began to twist and turn around him, and his head pounded harder than it ever had before. His body felt numb and his vision began to blur, until he blacked out entirely and fainted.

...And the next thing he knew, he had woken up buckled in a seat in a small room he didn’t recognize, with fifteen other equally confused people around him.

Naegi’s head throbbed in pain as soon as he regained consciousness. It felt as if someone took a hammer and bashed it into his skull repeatedly. It hurt _badly—_ And it seemed like he wasn’t the only one having this issue. Various groans of agony were elicited from the others in the room, most of them holding their head in their hands. “What the fuck?” one of them, a boy in a gray astronaut suit with a light brown pompadour muttered.

Speaking of astronaut suits, actually, once he looked down at himself, Naegi saw that _he_ was wearing one too. Though, darting his eyes between each person showed that they all had suits on as well, each with different colours to differentiate themselves. Why were they wearing these things? And how did they get them on? “Wh-Where are we?” a girl in a dark purple suit with glasses and braided hair asked nervously, cautiously examining everyone in the room. “My head hurts like hell,” another girl, this one in a black suit with a red bow clipped to a pocket on her chest and strawberry blonde pigtails, said, rubbing her temples.

“Instead of sitting around,” a boy with spiky black hair in a white suit started, unbuckling himself and standing up. He looked like he was trying to ignore the pain in his head. “We should try and figure out where we are, who we are, and why we’re here!”

“That seems like a logical course of action.” The girl who said that was sitting to the right of Naegi, with a lavender suit that matched her hair. She continued with, “Though this is only an assumption, are we all students of Hope’s Peak Academy?” A chorus of ‘Yes’s’ were said by every person in the room. The lavender-haired girl looked down, rubbing her chin as she supposedly started thinking. “Interesting.”

“Should we start introducing ourselves like _he_ said?” A girl with navy blue hair in a matching blue suit asked, pointing to the boy in the white suit. “We should!” the boy replied, putting his hands on his hips. “I’ll start! I am Ishimaru Kiyotaka, the Ultimate Moral Compass!”

“Moral Compass? What are you, a fucking hall monitor or some shit?” the gray-suited boy with the pompadour said. “Jesus Christ, what kind of a talent is that?”

“I will not tolerate such foul language!” Ishimaru shouted, pointing at the other boy. “Please refrain from saying such words ever again! And if you must know, my talent is very useful, as I—“

“I don’t give a shit, get your hand out of my face!”

“Stop! Fighting is, like, the worst thing we could do right now!” a tan girl with an upright ponytail and a red suit intervened, though she didn’t stand between the two boys fighting. The attention was directed to her. “Here, I’ll go next! I’m Asahina Aoi, but my friends call me Hina! And I’m the Ultimate Swimming Pro! How about you?” She turned and asked her question to the tall girl next to her, who had long white hair and, from the looks of it, a muscular build. She also had a light pink suit. “Very well,” she said, nodding her head. “I am Oogami Sakura, the Ultimate Martial Artist.”

“Oh! Does that mean you’re a good fighter?” Asahina asked, intrigued by Oogami’s talent. “That’s so cool! I’ve never met a girl whose talent is fighting!”

“O-Oh, um, I’m sorry for interrupting,” the boy next to Oogami started, giving an apologetic look to the two girls beside him. “But are we going in order for our introductions?”

“That would probably be best, I think,” the blue-haired girl answered. “What’s your name?”

“I-I’m Fujisaki Chihiro,” the boy— Fujisaki introduced, giving the group a shy smile. “I’m the Ultimate Programmer.”

Sure, Naegi expected there to be several talented people in the school, but being in the same room as them was astonishing. He couldn’t help but admire each one as they introduced themselves to the group. “It’s my turn!” The blue-haired girl exclaimed. “Hello! I’m Maizono Sayaka, and I’m the Ultimate Pop Sensation! I look forward to getting to know you guys!”

Maizono…? That name rang a bell in Naegi’s mind. Of course, he knew that she was in a popular girl band with several thousand fans, but he felt like he knew her from somewhere else. “Ugh, that’s so _lame_ ,” the girl with blonde pigtails commented, dismissing Maizono with a wave of her hand. Maizono seemed confused at the statement.

The girl unbuckled herself and stood up, putting a hand on her hip and tossing her hair for dramatic flair. “I’m Enoshima Junko! I’m the Ultimate Fashionista!” She then crossed her arms and looked down to the girl next to her who had a light gray suit and short black hair. A grimace formed on her face as she added, “And that’s my sister Mukuro, I _guess_.”

“Um, yeah,” the other girl answered, nodding her head. “I’m Ikusaba Mukuro. The Ultimate Soldier.”

“Soldier?” Naegi asked, quirking an eyebrow. “Like from the military or something?”

“Don’t bother talking to her,” Enoshima said before Ikusaba could reply, scoffing as she did so. “She’s not that great.”

“J-Junko—“

“Anyway, how about you!?” Enoshima ignored Ikusaba and pointed to the boy with the pompadour. “You haven’t introduced yourself yet!”

The boy glared at Enoshima, but said his name anyway. “Name’s Oowada Mondo,” he stated, crossing his arms. “I’m the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader.”

“And you have the audacity to insult me for _my_ talent?!” Ishimaru yelled, his words aimed at Oowada. “You’re nothing more than a degenerate!”

“Watch your fucking mouth!” Oowada combatted, getting out of his seat and jabbing a finger at Ishimaru. “Why are you two fighting, anyway?” A boy with red hair and a dark red suit asked. It was a good question; everyone met less than ten minutes ago, there was no need for any sort of conflict. “Because this asshole thinks he’s better than me!” Oowada shouted, not looking towards the redhead. The latter simply shrugged and said, “Whatever. Anyway, it’s my turn. I’m Kuwata Leon. Uh, I’m the Ultimate Baseball Star, but… I don’t know, I’m trying to change that.”

“Why would you want to change your Ultimate talent?” Asahina asked, tilting her head. “That’s, like, throwing away your whole identity.”

“Baseball just isn’t my thing,” Kuwata said. “I don’t really like it anymore.” He turned to the large boy sitting next to him with an orange suit. “How about you?”

“Ah, so the eyes in the room turn to me!” the large boy said, pushing his glasses up farther on his face. “I am Yamada Hifumi, the Ultimate Fanfiction Creator!” he stated proudly. “F-Fanfiction creator?!” the girl with purple braids shouted, offended at Yamada’s talent. “You’re a-an insult to writers everywhere!”

“Seems as if you don’t realize the art of fanfiction,” Yamada responded, turning sly eyes to the girl. It looked like he was used to that reaction. “Transformative works like fanfiction expand the main story of a series! They unlock many possibilities for what could’ve happenened in your favourite shows! You should really look into it.”

“As if I’d e-ever give that type of g-garbage the time of day!”

“This is ridiculous,” the blond boy sitting on Naegi’s left muttered. He too pushed his glasses up on his face and shook his head as Yamada and the purple girl fought. “That’s enough. Both of you, shut up.”

The two’s arguing ended as they turned to the blond boy. Soon enough, the purple-haired girl turned back and said, “Hng— Th-This isn’t over!” She didn’t say anything else, which led everyone in the room to stare at her. She nervously darted her eyes around at each person, saying, “Wh-Why are you staring at me?” Immediately after that, she yelled, “Is it because you think I’m ugly?!”

“...It’s your turn,” Maizono answered as everyone kept looking at her. “Oh. F-Fine.” The purple-haired girl let out a breath and muttered, “Not like you’ll r-remember it anyway, but my name's F-Fukawa Touko. I’m the Ultimate Wr-Writing Prodigy.”

Everyone sat in awkward silence, the girl’s self-deprecating comments and accusations leaving the others unsure of how to react. All except for the boy sitting next to her, who broke the aforementioned silence with “Oh, it’s my turn!”

Attention shifted to the boy, who was shown to have large brown hair and a tanned complexion. “I’m Hagakure Yasuhiro, the Ultimate Clairvoyant!”

“...You’re a fortune teller?” the lavender-haired girl asked. Though there was little to no emotion in her voice, Naegi could still make out the skepticism laced within her words. “I don’t believe that’s a real talent.”

“It is! My predictions are usually right thirty percent of the time!”

“That’s not a very good rate if you ask me. Then again, I have no room to talk.”

“What do you mean?” Was her talent something along the lines of Hagakure’s? That didn’t seem like the case, but looks can be deceiving. “...I forgot to mention my name.” And she completely dodged the question. That was odd; maybe she just didn’t feel like elaborating. “I’m Kirigiri Kyouko.”

Naegi waited for her to say something else, but found that she wouldn’t speak another word. He stared at her for a few moments, before asking, “What’s your talent?” Kirigiri’s stoic eyes darted to him, then back to everyone else, and her mouth remained shut. She was awfully strange. 

Naegi realized that it was now _his_ turn, so he looked to the rest of the group to introduce himself. “My name’s Naegi Makoto. I’m the Ultimate Lucky Student.”

“How unfortunate,” a girl he hadn’t noticed before spoke up. She sat in the seat closest to the wall, next to the blond boy Naegi was sitting next to. Her voice was in a strange accent, sounding something along the lines of French. She also had two twin drills and a gothic black suit. “It seems as if you don’t have a talent.”

“That’s not true!” Maizono spoke up. “Luck can be a talent too! That’s why he’s here, isn’t it?”

“Perhaps.” The girl twirled a lock of hair that framed the side of her face idly. “I guess we shall see how it fairs him.”

The blond beside Naegi scoffed, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. “If you’d please cut the babble, I’d like to get my introduction over with.” ...He kind of seemed like a prick. Then again, first impressions weren’t everything. “Don’t make me repeat myself. Name’s Togami Byakuya, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny.”

So his talent was being rich. That certainly explained the attitude. He seemed like a stuck up rich kid. Though, Naegi couldn’t lie, there was something alluring about him. To speak candidly, it was probably just his good looks. “And we finally arrive to me,” the twin drills girl said simply. “Very well. I am Celestia Ludenburg, the Ultimate Gambler.”

As if accepted talents couldn’t get any more outlandish. There were certainly a few strange ones, but gambling sounded downright _illegal_. But the morality of every talent in the room hardly mattered at a time like this. But… “Is that your real name?” Naegi asked, tilting his head to look at Celeste. She didn’t _look_ foreign, but she sure sounded like she was. Celeste narrowed her eyes at him and replied with a short “Yes.”

That didn’t sound right, but he wasn’t one to judge.

“Right!” Ishimaru moved to the centre of the room, putting his hands on his hips again. “I suggest that we leave this room and explore the area!” Various sounds of agreement were muttered between the group. “Now pick a partner and get to work!”

“I’m not picking a partner,” Togami stated, unbuckling himself from his seat and standing up. “I can do this myself.”

“To ensure everyone’s safety, we must have someone to accompany us!”

“I don’t care. I’m leaving.” 

“Hng— I-I’ll go with you!” Fukawa volunteered, getting out of her own seat and standing behind Togami. Togami turned and scoffed with a sneer on his face. “Don’t do that. Your rancid smell is already invading my nostrils, and I want to get away from it as soon as possible.” Togami turned again, exiting the room through the door in the centre. Despite Togami’s insults, Fukawa followed him anyway.

“I’ll go with my big sis!” Enoshima exclaimed, standing up and grabbing Ikusaba’s wrist. “Come on, Mukuro!”

“Oh. Okay, Junko.” Enoshima and Ikusaba were the second pair to leave, following behind Togami and Fukawa. “Hm. I’d prefer not to be left with an unfavourable partner,” Celeste said, looking at each of the remaining students. Her eyes landed on Kirigiri, and she added, “Kirigiri, how about you?” Kirigiri wordlessly stood up and went out of the room with Celeste.

“Oh! Oogami, can _we_ be partners?” Asahina asked to Oogami excitedly. “I want to hear more about your martial arts! They sound so cool!” Oogami nodded and stood up. “As you wish.” They were the next pair to leave, Asahina already chatting and asking questions to the girl beside her.

“Naegi!” Maizono called before trotting over to Naegi. “Would you like to be my partner?”

“Me?” There were still plenty of other people in the room to choose from, yet Maizono chose him. He was expecting to be one of the last people picked, but… maybe he _was_ lucky. “Are you sure?”

“Of course! I’d like to talk to you for a bit!” Why was the thought of talking to Maizono— Alone, for that matter— making his heart beat faster? Perhaps he was nervous? She was pretty, after all. And that wasn’t mentioning her talent. “Okay, sure,” he agreed, unbuckling himself and standing up. The two left the room, with Maizono leading and Naegi following, to explore the area they were in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tch. Kirigiri, you cannot make me and Makoto put on matching maid dresses. Who do you take me for? It will not be happening— No—  
> . Okay, there, you got what you wanted. Happy? ...You want us to hold hands. And say What?! Kirigiri, no, that’s—  
> Oh my, we are just little maid boys, teehee.  
> ...Wait are you— Are you recording?! Kyouko Kirigiri—


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UHHHH Here’s the situation  
> This would’ve been up yesterday, but my beta decided No. I Will Not Come Online Today. Or Today (as in Tuesday.) So yeah  
> But my friend who’s asleep right now agreed to beta it in their place but. I’m tired of waiting so whatever changes they suggest will be added tomorrow  
> Listen. This is kind of boring so far but I promise it’ll get better

Through the door was a long, grey hallway, which presumably led to the rest of the building. And a few moments after Naegi and Maizono went through it, the latter was the first to speak up. “Um, Naegi? If you don’t mind me asking, did you go to Black Root Junior High School by chance?”

To say that Naegi was surprised at the question was an understatement. The question was sudden, breaking through their silence, and it was something Naegi wasn’t expecting. How did Maizono know which middle school he attended? There could be a small chance she also went there, which would explain why Naegi felt he knew her even before she became a pop star, but… “Yeah, I did. How did you know?”

“Oh! I knew it!” Maizono exclaimed, clasping her hands together. “I went there too! I’m so glad there’s someone I know here!”

“You knew me?” Naegi asked, creasing his eyebrows in confusion. He dismissed the fact that his assumption was correct, instead letting bafflement flood his mind. While he now remembered that Maizono was in the same middle school as him, he couldn’t recall a time they ever crossed paths. If he could recall correctly, they were in different classes, and had no mutual friends. “Well, not personally, but I knew who you were!” Maizono giggled a tiny bit, and put her hands behind her back. “Remember that time you helped that lost crane?”

“...I think so, why?” Naegi vaguely remembered seeing a crane wander into the school pond and helping it find its way out. The event didn’t seem that important to him, considering how he forgot about it. It must have been important to Maizono, however, considering that she remembered it—possibly— vividly. He continued listening to Maizono talk about the occurrence. “I was there watching you when you led it out of the pond it wandered into! It was such a nice thing for you to do! I haven’t forgotten it since!”

“Oh, um… Thanks! I think.” Naegi hadn’t thought of that since it happened, but seeing how significant it was to Maizono put a different perspective on it. One act of kindness could go a long way, he supposed. “Oh, look! There’s a door up ahead!”

Maizono was right; in the distance was a large metal door at the end of the hallway. The two sped up to reach it, curious to find out just where they were.

As they approached the door, they noticed that it didn’t immediately open. Seeing as the door wasn’t activated by motion, they decided to look around to find any type of switch that could open it. After a couple moments, Maizono pulled on Naegi’s arm and said, “I don’t know how important this is, but—“ She pointed to the ceiling with her free hand. “—There’s a camera up there.”

That was… strange. Why would there be a camera in a place like this? The hallway wasn’t well lit, so it couldn’t possibly be picking up much. It seemed out of place in such a room. Naegi shrugged, brushing it off as he said, “Who knows why it’s there.”

A few moments later, Naegi found a switch, similarly shaped to a gear stick, on the floor next to the door. “Do you think this is it?” He asked, bending down to pull it. As he did, the door quickly opened, with light seeping through the darkness in stark contrast. They both had to shield their squinting eyes from the blinding light. “I think so,” Maizono answered, not hesitating to escape the hallway and going through the doorway. Naegi followed behind her.

As soon as his eyes adjusted, Naegi observed the room they had entered. The most notable thing was in front of them; a large machine that neither of them had ever seen before. The thing was big enough to take up the entire room. It was in a cylindrical shape, bronze, and had various wires hooking up to the wall. “What is this thing?” Naegi questioned, walking around to observe the object. On the other side of it was a gray box with a… fuel tank attached to the side? Not only that, there was a screen with a sliding knob placed on the adjacent side of the fuel tank. What was the purpose of this thing?

Ignoring the huge machine in front of her, Maizono looked down the hallway in front of it. “I think we should go this way first,” she said. “I don’t know where it goes, but…”

“Sure, okay,” Naegi agreed, making his way from the fuel tank to join Maizono at the entrance of the hallway. While there was another hallway near the fuel tank, they could always come back to it. 

The hallway wasn’t particularly long; in fact, it was much shorter than the one they came through. It was a grayish-blue colour, with the floor being a darker shade of it. On the left wall was a dark red line, which led to the centre to reveal the word _ENGINE_ written on it. Judging by the position of the line, one could conclude that the room that they had entered, and by extension the large machine they found inside, was an engine. “So that was an engine,” Naegi muttered to himself, his eyebrows creasing as he processed that information. “But why would there be an engine here?”

“I don’t know,” Maizono replied, equally as confused as Naegi. “Maybe it’s… a power generator? Or something?”

“Maybe, but ‘engine’ seems like a weird thing to call it.”

“Yeah… Um, but there’s a room right over there, see?” Facing the wall was the entrance to another room, that of which was labelled _MEDBAY_. “Right,” Naegi said, nodding his head. “C’mon, let’s go inside.”

Upon entering Medbay, the pair could see four beds with blue sheets, two on the left and two on the right. Judging by the red crosses on the wall, this was some sort of infirmary. “Well, at least we know there’s a nurses office,” Naegi muttered, walking in farther. Maizono hummed an agreement, going over to inspect the beds.

Towards the end of the room, there was a nook that had a large white pad on the floor that was connected to a monitor on the wall. In the centre of the pad was a neon green circle, seemingly used to scan whatever was on it. Deciding not to touch it, or the monitor, Naegi turned back to face Maizono again. “Look over here!” Maizono called, standing next to one of the beds. “There’s a vent in the floor!”

“A vent?” Naegi echoed, going over to stand next to the girl. “Why would there be a vent here?”

“I don’t know, but it’s awfully suspicious. Maybe there’s something in it.” 

To test out Maizono’s theory, Naegi crouched down to pull the cover off of the vent. He pulled on its cover, finding that it wouldn’t budge. “That’s weird, I can’t open it.” Maizono shrugged and smiled. “Guess it’s not too important, then.”

Suddenly, an alarm rang throughout the entire building, startling both Naegi and Maizono. “Emergency! Please report to the Cafeteria!” an automated voice said, its words echoing through the room and through the halls. “Let’s go.” The pair ran out of Medbay, turning to their right, as the wall stated, where the path to the Cafeteria was.

It wasn’t too long of a run to get there, seeing as the wall didn’t lie when it said Medbay was directly next to the Cafeteria. There, they saw Togami standing next to a table with a big red button in the centre, said button encased in plastic. His arms were crossed, and he looked rather amused. “What’s wrong?” Naegi asked as he and Maizono approached Togami. Togami simply smirked and stated, “You’ll soon find out.”

Two by two, each pair made their ways to the Cafeteria, until they were all together again. Except… there was one person missing. “Where’s Fukawa?” Asahina asked as the group stood around the table. “I’ll get to that,” Togami replied, pushing his glasses up farther on his face. “Have any of you passed the ejection room yet?” Various no’s were given. “Alright. Allow me to explain.”

Togami cleared his throat as he began his elucidation. “First things first, in case any of you imbeciles haven’t noticed, we’re in outer space. I haven’t a clue how we got here, but it appears that that is where we are.”

Wait— Outer space?! They were in _outer space_ of all places?! How was that even possible?! They were on Earth before waking up here, how could they possibly be in _space_?! “The ejection room is just as it sounds,” Togami continued, ignoring the shock of the other students. “You use it to eject something— or _someone_ — off the ship. Fukawa was kind enough to volunteer for a test of mine, and—“

“Y-You ejected Fukawa?” Fujisaki stuttered nervously, interrupting Togami and looking to be on the brink of tears. “How could you do something like that?”

Togami let out a chuckle and answered, “She claimed she’d do whatever I wanted her to. So, I told her to get into the ejection room and I pulled the lever.” 

“That is unusually cruel,” Celeste commented, twirling a lock of her hair. She seemed disinterested in the conversation. “Though I’m sure this will turn out to be helpful, seeing as you called a meeting over it.”

Togami’s smirk left his face, suddenly turning serious. “Indeed. However, _she_ is not the issue here. When I ejected her, a strange sentence popped up on the looking glass.”

A lot was happening all at once, and it was hard to take it in. Naegi attempted to process the large amount of information being given as the conversation progressed. Space, ejections— What was happening? “It claimed that Fukawa was _not_ an imposter, and that there were four among us. While it didn’t state clearly what an imposter is, I believe it’s something we should look out for.”

“Oh! I know something that might be helpful too!” Enoshima added after Togami finished his explanation. “Me and Mukuro, like, totally found a bunch of space helmets in the security room!” Both Enoshima and Ikusaba held up astronaut helmets that they had in their hands, both matching the colour of the suits they wore. “We, like, put them on and everything, and when you press the button on the side—“ Enoshima and Ikusaba turned their helmets simultaneously to reveal a small button on the sides of them. “—It tells you tasks that you have to do! So, like, maybe the imposters _don’t_ have tasks when _we_ do!”

“Interesting observation,” Togami replied, narrowing his eyes at the helmets. “Perhaps we should take a look in security and see what _our_ helmets say.”

“Totally!” Enoshima exclaimed, walking away from the table. “Follow me, I know just where it is!” The group followed Enoshima and Ikusaba as they led them to the security room.

The walk wasn’t too long, as the path to the security room was through the hallway Naegi and Maizono came from, past the Engine, and down the hallway in front of where they entered the ship. Just as Enoshima stated, there were fourteen other astronaut helmets, all matching their respective owner’s suit colour. Each person went in to grab their helmets, curious to find out what tasks, if any, they were assigned.

Naegi put on his olive green helmet, making sure it properly connected to his suit. After fiddling around with it, feeling that it was secure, one hand dropped to his side while the other pressed the button on the side of the helmet.

It seemed as if Enoshima was right; once he pressed the button, a list of five tasks appeared on the glass. Submit a scan at Medbay, divert power from Electrical to Weapons, download data at Weapons, unlock the manifolds at the Reactor, and prime the shields at Shields. He hadn’t been to half of those locations yet, but these tasks shouldn’t be a problem. “Seems simple enough,” he muttered to himself. He turned to Maizono, who was presumably staring at her own task list. “How many did you get, Maizono?”

Maizono turned to him wide-eyed, an unreadable expression on her face. “Just one,” she replied. “I only have one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen up, Naegi. Because this is it. The beat that I’m banging is delicious.  
> Fergalicious, definition, make them boys go crazy. They always claim they know me. Coming to me, calling me Stacy.  
> I’m the F to the E, R, G, the I, the E. And can’t no other lady put it down like me.  
> I’m Fergalicious.
> 
> Anyway I ordered a few DR Chimi Charas (You know the ones) last week and they arrived today. I got. Fukawa. And Genocide Jack. And I’m not going into detail but I do not want either of them in my house. I have them up for trade on my Depop (same username) so if anyone would like to trade,


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops. Here is a prime example of “The chapters are going to vary in length” because this is 4k and I have no idea how it got this long  
> I would split it up, but honestly, I don’t think theres a good place to split it. So. Here you go lol

“You have _one_? You’re lucky, I have five.”

Assuming that the amount of tasks varied from person to person, Naegi managed to get stuck with a lot more than he’d like. His tasks may be menial, but he still had to run around most of the ship to complete them. Maizono slowly nodded her head, a nervous smile on her lips as she mumbled, “Yup. Pretty lucky.” The smile fell as quickly as it appeared.

Suddenly, a chime could be heard in the room that echoed throughout the entire ship. On the large monitor on the wall, an image flickered onto the display. Before them was a two-toned monotone bear, with its left side being black and its right side being white. “Testing, testing! One two three!” a voice exclaimed on the video feed. Could it be the bear’s voice?

No… That didn’t seem right. “Can you hear me? You can? Good!”

“Why’s that creepy bear talking to us?” Hagakure asked, pointing to the monitor. Nobody replied to him, choosing to stare at the two-toned bear. The bear continued speaking. “So, I bet you guys have a lot of questions! That’s what I’m here for!” The bear let out a laugh. “First things first, I am Monokuma! And I am this ship’s captain!”

...The bear was the captain? Nothing on this ship so far made sense. “There are four imposters on this ship! Their jobs are to kill you all!” Out of the corner of his eye, Naegi could see Maizono freezing up. She looked terrified, yet she stood completely still. “Maizono?” Naegi whispered, diverting his attention from the monitor and moving closer to comfort the girl. “Are you okay?”

“There’s a catch, though! Once a body has been discovered, you all have to have a meeting and discuss who you think the imposter is! Once you find them, you eject them through the ejection room! But if you pick the wrong suspect… Oops! You’ve murdered an innocent person! How despair-inducing! Puhuhuhu!”

“What kind of horrible game show is this?” Kuwata asked, more to himself than to the group. “I don’t want to play it.”

“Who are the imposters? Can you figure it out? I can’t wait! _I can’t wait!_ ” With that, the video feed with Monokuma shut off, and turned back on to reveal a security feed. It’s watchers were left scared and confused, taking in the information they were given.

“This is a joke, right?” Oowada was the first to speak up. He looked angry, and his face was turning redder with every passing second. “Which of you fuckers thought this was funny?!”

“I-I don’t think anyone finds this funny,” Fujisaki replied, looking down and fidgeting with his hands. “I know I don’t…”

”I’m damn sure it was _one_ of you fuckers, I know that!”

“Enough with the chatter!” Ishimaru shouted, breaking up the nervous conversations happening between the students. “This is a rather stressful situation! Therefore, I suggest we continue working in groups to ensure our safety while we do our tasks!”

“Hmph. As if I’d be working with imbeciles like you,” Togami said, his tone condescending. “I’ll pass.”

“What, you want to look suspicious?” Enoshima asked, putting a hand on her hip. “Are you an imposter, Togami?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I just don’t want to interact with you people more than I have to.”

“I will not allow anyone to leave until we determine our partners!” Ishimaru pointed towards Oogami as he kept shouting. “Oogami! If you would please be so kind, guard the door!” Oogami nodded, making her way through the crowd of students and standing in front of the door. “Now, pick your partners! I am fine with you picking who you’ve been with so far!”

Naegi turned to Maizono after Ishimaru finished his rambling. She still looked terrified, even with the mutual agreement amongst the group to stick with partners. “It’ll be okay, Maizono.” He patted her shoulder in an attempt to give comfort. “Nothing’ll happen to us as long as we stick together.”

“But— Naegi—“ she stuttered. She must’ve been so scared that she couldn’t even form words. “I—“

“I swear, as long as you stay by my side, you’ll be okay!” Naegi exclaimed, giving the girl a bright smile. That seemed to make her feel a bit better, as her lips quirked into her own small smile. “Thank you,” she replied quietly. “Um… Now let’s— Let’s do our tasks!”

“Yeah!” The two turned around to leave the security room, finding that almost everyone else had already left. The ones who remained, besides Maizono and Naegi, were Ishimaru, Oowada, Asahina, Oogami, and Togami. While the pair were talking, it seemed as if an argument had started. “Move,” Togami commanded, trying to get past Oogami. He was trying to walk around her, glaring as he did so. “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that,” Oogami stated, blocking Togami’s attempts at escape. “It would be best for you to find a partner.”

“How many times do I have to tell you? I don’t want a partner. Now _move_.”

“You are not allowed to leave until you find a partner!” Ishimaru shouted, pointing a finger at Togami. Togami glared at the smaller male, scoffing at the sight of him.

“Oh, um, he can come with _us_!” Naegi offered with a smile, intervening in the argument. “The more the merrier, right?”

“Why would I _ever_ want to do that?” Togami sneered, glaring daggers at Naegi specifically. “Someone like you isn’t worthy of my company. If you would be so kind, remove yourself from my sight.” 

...Well that was a bit harsh.

“Come on, Togami, just go with them,” Asahina responded, a look of disapproval on her face as she crossed her arms. “Nobody else wants you in their group, and we won’t be able to leave unless you go with someone. Just do it.” Togami scoffed again, now cocking an eyebrow. “Who do you think you are, speaking to me like that? Do you know who I am?”

“I know you’re an arrogant jerk!”

“Pathetic.”

“Just shut your fucking mouth and go with them!” Oowada interrupted, clenching his fists. He looked like he was ready to fight someone. More specifically, he looked ready to fight _Togami_. “I want to get out of here and do these stupid tasks!”

“How many times do I have to tell you not to cuss?!” Ishimaru scolded, his finger in Oowada’s face. “That is unacceptable behaviour!”

“This isn’t a battle worth fighting,” Oogami stated, her words directed to Togami. Togami rolled his eyes and groaned, not happy with the way things turned out. “Fine. Whatever.” He looked over at Naegi and Maizono, disgust painted clearly on his face. “ _You_ two. We’re leaving.”

For some unknown reason, hearing Togami agree to go with him and Maizono made Naegi happy. It could be because of his need to help others, but… this felt different. He pushed the thought— and the foreign feeling— aside, walking up to Oogami and asking, “Can we go?” Oogami looked to Ishimaru, who simply said, “Of course! Go on and do your tasks!”

At the acceptance of Ishimaru, the trio exited the security room, ready to do their tasks.

Immediately, they could all see a room, with _REACTOR_ written on the wall leading into it. “Oh! Can we stop in there first?” Naegi asked, making his way towards the room. “I have a task in there.”

“Ironically enough, I do too,” Togami replied, not bothering to look down at Naegi or Maizono. “Cool! We’re task twins, then!”

“I don’t think I have one in here,” Maizono commented, pressing the button on the side of her helmet again. “Didn’t you say you only had one task, Maizono?” Naegi asked, looking around the Reactor to find where his task was. “Oh! Um— Yeah! That’s right. It’s just not in here.”

“You have _one_ task?” Togami questioned, narrowing his eyes at Maizono. “That’s rather suspicious. _I_ have five.”

“So I’m not the only one with five tasks?” Naegi wondered out loud. That made him feel a bit better about his luck regarding task numbers, but he didn’t express that verbally. He pressed the button on the side of his helmet again, only for the glass to display a map rather than his task list. “Huh?”

“What is it?” Maizono asked, walking in front of Naegi with a curious look on her face. “There’s a map too.”

“Did you not know that?” Togami looked annoyed at the two of them, but that may just be because he didn’t want to be there with them. He walked over to a large object in the middle of the room that had white glowing beams around it, built to look like a half circle. “There are _two_ buttons on your helmet.” Naegi slid his fingers down the side of his helmet. Togami wasn’t wrong; there were, in fact, two buttons rather than one. Enoshima must not have found it when she told the group about her and Ikusaba’s discovery.

Naegi noticed a yellow exclamation mark in every area he was supposed to visit to do his tasks. Comparing the map with his task list proved that. It also showed exactly which machine or otherwise he was supposed to go to. His task was in the corner of the room, where a keypad with mismatched numbers was on the wall. This must be where he unlocks the manifold.

Unsure of which number to press first, he pressed the five key, hoping it would work. The entire number pad flashed red, letting out a beep. “That must not be it,” he muttered to himself, his face scrunching up in confusion. This would be easier if there were directions. “How about this one?” He pressed the nine key and got the same result. 

“What are you doing?” Maizono asked, peeking over Naegi’s shoulder to watch him do his task. “Yes, what _are_ you doing?” Togami added, his reply full of snark as he observed Naegi too. “Do you not know how to count?”

“Huh?” Was he supposed to press these buttons in order? “It’s obvious you’re supposed to press them counting upwards,” Togami continued, the condescension clear in his voice. “Oh.” Naegi hesitantly pressed the one key on the keypad, finding that doing so caused it to light up green. In turn, he pressed the two key, which resulted in the same reaction as the previous one. In retrospect, his objective with this task was pretty obvious, just as Togami said. Naegi quickly pressed the remaining buttons to finish the task.

After pressing the final key, the words _Task completed!_ appeared inside his helmet. He hummed out an acknowledgment and said, “Guess I’m done here. Where to next?”

“Judging by my list, I say we go to Electrical next,” Togami stated, pulling up his task list. “Apparently, I have to calibrate the distributor.”

“That’s weird,” Naegi said, pulling up his own task list. “I have to divert power in Electrical.”

“Maybe you guys have tasks in the same rooms,” Maizono suggested, though it sounded more like a question. “Perhaps. Naegi, tell me where your tasks are located.”

“Oh— Um, Weapons, Shields, and Medbay.”

“Interesting. Excluding Shields, we have the same areas to attend to.” Weird it was, indeed. “Come on, let’s go,” Togami ordered, leaving the room without a single glance behind him. “Um, okay,” Naegi responded as he and Maizono ran to catch up with him.

Their trek to Electrical wasn’t too long. They had passed another engine, that of which looked identical to the one near Medbay, and they went through a somewhat long hallway. And there, with a small doorway to their left, was Electrical.

Upon entering, the trio could see various wires scattered across the floor. They were strewn about carelessly, with many connecting to outlets on the wall. Togami immediately went to the back of the room to a silver box with a yellow triangle plastered onto it. The triangle had a lightning bolt symbol on it as well. Naegi and Maizono followed him, as Naegi’s task was around the same area. However, they weren’t expecting to see Fujisaki fiddling with some wires in the wall, along with Kuwata standing next to him and watching. “Yo,” Kuwata greeted them with a wave of his hand. “You guys got tasks in here too?”

“Yup. Just diverting power and stuff,” Naegi responded, reaching a silver box in the wall. It wasn’t as big as the one Togami was busy with, but unlike _that_ one, it had several switches, each labelled with different rooms. Naegi traced his finger across each label until he found the red switch labelled _Weapons_. He flicked it, but the _Task completed!_ message didn’t pop up. “Did I do it wrong?” he asked himself, pressing the task list once again. “You’re diverting power, right?” Fujisaki questioned, momentarily stopping his work on the wires. “Yeah, why?”

“You’ll have to go to wherever your power’s going to accept it. You’ll see an identical box with a single switch on it.”

“Really? Thank you!” Fujisaki gave Naegi and Maizono a smile, replying, “I’m glad I could help you!” before turning back to fix the wires. “Togami, are you done yet?” Naegi’s attention was now directed towards Togami. From the looks of it, the latter was having trouble with his task. “Hold on, I’m almost done,” Togami replied, his eyes concentrated on the three circles in the gray box. The top notch, connected to a yellow circle, was rotating counterclockwise. As it approached the node connected to some wires, he pressed the button under a bar, causing it to stop. The bar filled up yellow.

Moving to the second circle, that of which was blue, it repeated the motion of the first. The second one was slightly faster than the one above it. He pressed the button as it reached the node, but the top circle reset. “Damn it,” he groaned in frustration, beginning the process once again. “Um, what are you doing?” Naegi asked as he and Maizono watched Togami struggle with the task. “It’s none of your concern,” he answered, pressing the second button. The bar above it turned blue.

The third, and subsequently last, circle was even faster than the other two. Togami seemed to focus on that one the most, seeing as the notch and node had to be lined up precisely to connect. The notch did a few rotations before he pressed the button, letting out a sign of relief as the bottom bar turned cyan. “I’m done,” he said, turning on his heel towards the exit. “Let’s go.”

“Oh, um, okay.” Naegi and Maizono followed Togami out of Electrical, not before giving a brief goodbye to Fujisaki and Kuwata. Their next destination was Weapons, which was a ways away from Electrical. It couldn’t take too long to get there though, could it? These walks between destinations were awfully short.

They passed the storage room first, which was full of large crates of… something. Perhaps they were supplies? That seemed to be the most reasonable conclusion. There was nothing much to see other than that, so they quickly made their way through the next hallway to get to Weapons. “Wait, hold on,” Naegi said, stopping as they reached Shields. “I have a task in here too.”

“Oh yeah,” Maizono replied. “I forgot about that.” Togami simply rolled his eyes and uttered something that vaguely sounded like an insult.

Naegi looked around, trying to find something that could prime shields. To his right, he could see a ramp leading down to a small space. He quickly walked down it to see a small pad with several hexagons. Some were white, while others were red. “This must be it,” he muttered, pressing one of the red hexagons. There was no indicator that he did something wrong, so he pressed the rest of the red hexagons before _Task completed!_ appeared on the glass. 

As he walked up the ramp, being met with Maizono zoning out while staring at the ceiling and Togami tapping his foot while his arms were crossed in annoyance. “Are you done yet?” Togami asked, glaring at Naegi as the former approached them. “Huh? Oh, you’re done?” Maizono snapped out of whatever thoughts she had, looking towards Naegi as well. “Yeah. We can go now,” Naegi responded. Though he had no reason to be, he felt guilty for making Maizono and Togami wait for him while he did his task, even if priming the shields only took a minute. He should try doing these a little faster to avoid being a burden to his group mates.

The rest of the way to Weapons was short, seeing as they had to go through a hallway and nothing more. At least for future reference, they knew where Navigation and O2 was.

Upon entering Weapons, the three saw a large chair in front of a screen with two red levers in the centre. “This is stupid,” Togami muttered to himself as he moved past Naegi and Maizono to sit in the chair. “What task do you have?” Maizono asked, making her way to watch what Togami was doing in the chair. “Clearing asteroids,” he replied, a scowl on his face.

On the other hand, Naegi had moved to a silver box in the wall that was nearly identical to the one in Electrical, just as Fujisaki said there would be. Upon closer inspection, there was just a single knob that needed to be turned to complete his diversion task. As soon as he turned it, _Task completed!_ flashed on the glass of his helmet. Luckily, his next task was also in Weapons, on a monitor placed on the wall. As soon as he approached it, it turned on, revealing a blue screen with two manilla folders and a gray button labelled _Download_. “Oh.” Seemed like it was going to take awhile to finish.

A small animation played on the screen as the data downloaded. There was a pixel icon of Naegi carrying papers from one folder to the other that constantly looped. It wasn’t entertaining, so Naegi turned away and stood with his back against the wall, looking at Togami and Maizono. Togami had just finished clearing the asteroids, getting up from the chair in the centre of the room, and Maizono idled about, twirling in place and humming a song she was making up in her head. Suddenly, she stopped and approached Naegi. She looked at the download screen and said, “Is your task going to take a long time?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry.” It wasn’t Naegi’s fault that it would take a while to download data, but he felt the need to apologize anyway. “We’re probably going to be stuck here for a bit.”

“Oh… Um, do you think I could go to the bathroom really quickly while you wait?” Maizono asked, tilting her head. “I could go by myself. You and Togami can stay here and wait for the data to download.”

“Sure, I don’t mind,” Naegi answered, shrugging his shoulders. He looked to Togami, who had silently joined Naegi in standing by the wall, and asked, “You okay with that, Togami?”

“I don’t care,” Togami responded bluntly, refusing to look down at either of them. “Do whatever you want.”

“Thank you! I’ll be back in a jiffy!” With that, Maizono ran off to go to the bathroom… Wherever it may be.

Naegi checked the monitor to see where the downloading process was, finding that it was only near twenty percent so far. Who knows how long they’d be stuck there.

Feeling as if he should strike up a conversation, Naegi looked up at Togami and said, “Hey, Togami?”

“What?”

While the smaller male didn’t have a particular topic of discussion in mind, he felt all words escape him at the taller’s piercing gaze. Something about it made him stop his thoughts in its tracks. While intimidation could be one factor, there was a feeling that he couldn’t quite put a name on too. Staring at Togami caused his breath to be caught in his throat, and he didn’t know why. Togami scoffed, and a snide smirk quirked up on his lips. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

“Ah— I’m sorry!” Why was his face heating up? And why was his heart being harder in his chest? This wasn’t making sense to him. After all, they’d only just met earlier in the day, something like this shouldn’t be happening.

...He had to admit, though, Togami was kind of hot. But that’s besides the point. Or… No, maybe that’s why he was getting so… nervous? What was going on?

His thoughts were interrupted abruptly as he saw Enoshima blabbering to Ikusaba down the hallway. As the conversation got closer, so did the sound of their footsteps, which only further distracted Naegi from his confusing feelings. When Enoshima looked forward and saw Naegi and Togami, she called out, “Hey, boys!” along with a playful wave of her hand. “Whatcha doing over here?”

“We’re just waiting for this data to finish downloading,” Naegi answered, waving back at the two. “How about you?”

“Oh, y’know, just going to the Cafeteria for one of Mukuro’s tasks.” Enoshima giggled and elbowed Ikusaba’s side. Ikusaba looked at her with confusion, unsure of where her sister was going to take the conversation. “So,” Enoshima started, drawing out the vowel of the word. “Maizono gave you two some alone time, huh?”

“Junko, what are you doing?” Ikusaba asked, tugging Enoshima’s arm. Now she looked a bit upset. “What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” Togami questioned, his eyebrow arching as he asked the inquiry. “What exactly are you insinuating?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Enoshima teased, stifling her laughter. “Maybe you asked Maizono to leave so you could kiss or something!”

The two boys were shocked at the claim. “What would give you that idea?!” Naegi spluttered out, his face redder than it was before. Enoshima couldn’t hold it in anymore; she started laughing, so much so that it looked like she would tear up. “Come on, Naegi! I can see it on your face! Even if you weren’t, I know you were _thinking_ about it!”

“No I wasn’t! Stop!”

“You utterly moronic woman,” Togami insulted, crossing his arms and scoffing. “I wouldn’t be caught dead doing such a thing.”

Enoshima’s laughter died down to the point where it was just snickers. “Sure,” she said, the sarcasm in her voice clear. “I’m just teasing, anyway. Come on, Mukuro, the trash won’t take out itself.” Ikusaba only responded with a sad “Okay, Junko,” as her eyes were trained on the floor. “Bye!” Enoshima grabbed Ikusaba’s arm and guided her away from Weapons, presumably leading her to the Cafeteria. That left Naegi and Togami alone again, now in awkward silence.

The two quietly stood for a bit, waiting for the downloading process to finish. If one were to check, it was currently at eighty percent. Close to finishing, but… “For what it’s worth, I wasn’t… thinking about kissing you,” Naegi muttered, his voice low in hopes of Togami not catching the statement. However, he did hear it, stating, “I really don’t care what you think about doing.” He chuckled and turned to look out the window on their left before adding, “I’m flattered, though.”

...At least he wasn’t weirded out or anything.

Suddenly, the monitor beeped. The data finished downloading. However, it seemed to be the same scenario as diverting power, as the task wasn’t marked as finished yet. Checking the task list, it looked like their next stop was Administration. “We have to take another detour,” Naegi said, pulling up his map. “We have to go to Admin so I can finish my task.”

“I would hardly call that a detour,” Togami commented, straightening his back and walking away from the wall. “I have a task in there as well.”

“That’s fair. Let’s go, then. I’m sure Maizono will be able to find us there.”

Administration wasn’t too far, considering it was down a hallway through the Cafeteria. As the two entered the Cafeteria to make their way to their destination, they heard footsteps rushing towards them. Turning around to look behind themselves, they could see Maizono running to them from the hallway to Weapons; the same path they saw Enoshima and Ikusaba appear from earlier. “Hey!” she called out, waving her arm to stop them. “I’m back!” Naegi gave the girl a smile and greeted back with, “Hello!”

“Did you finish with the data while I was gone?” Maizono asked, tilting her head as her eyes darted between the two boys. She joined the two as they began walking again, staying on Naegi’s side while the latter answered, “Yup. But now we have to go to Admin to finish the task.”

“Oh, okay!”

Though Naegi wouldn’t say so out loud, Maizono seemed… off. Her eyes looked wider, as if she were paranoid of something. It was hard to see through the helmet, but she looked paler as well. Overall, it seemed as if she was shaken up. Did something happen while she was in the bathroom? 

Maybe now wasn’t the best time to ask.

As the three turned the corner to enter Administration, they were met with a gruesome sight. There on the ground, between the entrances to Administration, the Cafeteria, and the Storage room, was Hagakure, laying face down with blood pooling under him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t think orphanges exist.  
> Think about it. Have you ever even seen an orphanage? Exactly. I propose that all orphans simply evaporate the second they obtain the orphan status.  
> Where else would they go? The orphanage? Proven false per my first statement.  
> Go on. Try and prove me wrong, Makoto. You can’t.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So like. I had no experience writing a trial when I wrote this. But my beta doesn’t wanna do anything again so like. Guess it’ll just. Remain like this  
> I failed half of my classes to write this fic /srs

As the shock of discovering Hagakure subsided, Naegi let out a loud scream. 

Seeing someone he’d just met laying there, bleeding out and _dying—_ it was horrifying. All words escaped him as he stumbled backwards, his eyes stuck to the dead man on the floor. He didn’t even notice he bumped into one of his group mates. “Wh-What happened to him?” Maizono whispered, her hands covering her mouth in horror. “Why is he..?”

“Hmph. I knew an idiot like him would end up dead first,” Togami commented, pushing past the other two to check the body. He crouched down to Hagakure’s lifeless form and took his arm, placing a finger on his wrist to check for a pulse. A moment later, he stood up, and he dropped the arm. “So he’s… He’s not actually…” Naegi started, though his words trailed off. He knew what he was going to say was a lie, but he couldn’t believe it. No— He didn’t _want_ to believe it. “No, there’s no doubt he’s dead,” Togami answered, rejoining Naegi and Maizono where they stood. “Someone killed him.”

“B-But who would…” Maizono’s sentence trailed off as well as she tried not to cry. “I don’t know. But we need to figure out what happened.” Togami turned on his heel and walked away, back into the Cafeteria to press the emergency button. Neither Naegi nor Maizono followed, as they were too stunned to move from their places. “Emergency! Please report to the Cafeteria!” the voice over the speakers called as a loud alarm blared. Naegi had to tear his eyes away from the scene to join Togami— and everyone else, as they began to file into the Cafeteria— by the table.

Once the remaining students had all gathered around the table, the first one to speak was Ishimaru, yelling, “What is the purpose of this meeting?!”

“Come on, man, you don’t have to shout,” Kuwata responded, his eyebrows furrowing. “But yeah, what happened?”

“...Hagakure’s dead,” Naegi muttered, just loud enough for the others to hear. His gaze was fixated on the table, still shocked from the initial discovery. He could hear the rest of the students gasp and give off their own reactions to the news. Celeste was the first to respond afterwards, a look of sympathy on her face as she said, “How unfortunate. I did not like him all that well, but it is sad nonetheless.”

“What are we going to do?” Ikusaba questioned, though it was more directed to Enoshima. “Like, we need to find who killed him and everything!” Enoshima exclaimed in response. “Where did you find him?” Kirigiri asked, looking to Naegi, Maizono, and Togami. “He’s by the Administration room,” Togami said simply. He gestured towards the hallway the trio came from, adding, “Right down there, in fact.”

“Interesting. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be right back. I’d like to take a look at the crime scene.” Kirigiri stood up, going in the direction Togami pointed at. 

“Naegi,” Maizono whispered, shaking Naegi’s shoulder. “Are you okay?” Naegi took a deep breath before looking up at Maizono and saying, “...Yeah. It’s just… a lot to handle, y’know?”

“I understand. I can’t really believe it either.” Maizono gave him an apologetic smile before taking her hand off his shoulder and turning back to the group. “Um, may I ask who Hagakure’s partner was?”

“It was me!” Yamada claimed proudly, putting his hands on his hips. “I was Mr. Hagakure’s partner!” He paused for a moment, and his pride vanished as soon as it appeared. “That’s not a good thing, is it?”

“It’s suspicious that _your_ partner ended up dead, is it not?” Togami questioned, his eyebrow raising. “Do you happen to have an explanation for this?” 

“Wait a minute, I’d like to hear the explanation too,” Kirigiri said, approaching the table once again and seating herself in her previous spot. “Go ahead.” Yamada cleared his throat and recalled his whereabouts before the murder. “Mr. Hagakure and I were by the Engines. We both had a task that made us move from the Storage room back to the Engines so we could refuel them. He had the upper engine and I had the lower engine. We had to put a lot of fuel in them, so it was taking us a long time to do it.”

“By chance, were you working at different speeds?” 

“Now that you mention it, we were. Mr. Hagakure was a lot faster than me, so he was able to go back and forth a bunch of times.”

“Interesting,” Kirgiri muttered to herself. A bit clearer, she added, “That must be how the imposter got him alone.”

“So we just need to find out who could’ve been alone long enough to do it, right?” Naegi asked, furrowing his brows as he concentrated. “That’s correct. What was everyone doing before the crime occured?”

“U-Um, I can start,” Fujisaki said, timidly raising his hand to garner everyone’s attention. “Me and Kuwata were in Electrical the whole time. I was trying to fix the wires.”

“That’s true,” Naegi corroborated, nodding his head. “Me and Togami had tasks in Electrical too, and we saw them both there.”

“Right— And Maizono was with them, too.”

Maizono smiled and nodded as well. “That’s true too!”

“As for me, I was with Kirigiri in the Medbay,” Celeste stated. Kirigiri let out a hum of agreement, no verbal add-on coming from her. “Oowada and I were in O2!” Ishimaru shouted, pointing at no one in particular. “He was watching me clean the filter!”

“Junko and I were—“

“Me and Mukuro were in the Cafeteria!” Enoshima interrupted Ikusaba as she spoke, waving her hand. “We had to empty out the gross garbage chute! But, you know who we saw in Weapons?”

“Before you say something idiotic _again_ , she saw Naegi and I,” Togami interrupted, crossing his arms. “We were waiting for data to download, as per Naegi’s task required.”

“Yeah! That’s what I was going to say!” Enoshima exclaimed. She squealed before continuing with, “I’m telling you, they were totes holding hands! It was super adorable!”

“No we weren’t!” Naegi countered, his cheeks heating up again. “We were just standing by the wall! That’s it!”

“That’s enough,” Kirigiri stated, breaking up the argument before it could progress. “Something as arbitrary as _that_ hardly matters right now. Asahina, Oogami, what were you two doing?”

“Hina and I were in Navigation,” Oogami answered for the two of them. “Her task was to stabilize the steering.”

“Yup! That’s it!” Asahina confirmed with a smile. “I was in the middle of it before the meeting was called.”

“So that’s everyone’s accounts,” Kirigiri said. “Actually, we still have one more,” Naegi stated. “Maizono left while we were in Weapons to go to the bathroom.”

“Uh— That’s right,” Maizono replied. “I don’t think my, um, personal business really matters, though.”

“Well, you _were_ alone before we found the body. I think it’s worth looking over.”

“Now that you mention it, I remember seeing Maizono pass the Medbay while Kirigiri was doing her scan,” Celeste said. “I’m not sure if there was a bathroom past there, but I know I saw her.”

“I did pass Medbay,” Maizono said. “But I was trying to find the bathroom! I didn’t know where it was!”

“Maybe the bathroom was where we woke up?” Fujisaki suggested. “That’s just a guess, though.”

“That hallway was pretty long, remember? It would take you a long time to go through it,” Naegi said. “Pardon me, but I would like to ask the bear something,” Togami said, referring to Monokuma and breaking up the conversation in the process. “He’s the one controlling this game, isn’t he? How do I speak with him?”

Suddenly, in front of every student, hatches opened inside the table, and tablets popped up through each one. An image of Monokuma appeared, and he said, “Puhuhu! You have a question for me?”

“What are the vents used for?” Togami asked, staring down at the bear. “There _must_ be a reason for them, especially considering how they’re all in the floor.”

“Allow me to explain!” The image of Monokuma disappeared, and a small cartoon took his place. The cartoon was of a small astronaut standing next to a vent. “The vents are a way for the imposters, and _only_ the imposters, to discreetly move around!” The cartoon astronaut jumped inside the vent. “They can move between the few vents in any given area!” The cartoon astronaut moved through a grey corridor, before a red _X_ blocked its way. “But they can’t move across the entire ship through one!”

“Hm. Interesting. Thank you.”

“Anything to help!” The cartoon ended, and the screens shut off. However, they did not retract back into the table. “Another thing,” Togami started, his gaze turning to Kirigiri. “You must have had a reason to leave and examine the body, correct? What exactly were you looking for?” Kirigiri stared back at him for a moment, before turning back to the rest of the group. “It seems as if the victim died from various stab wounds through the chest. And, if I’m correct about this, he died right before the meeting was called.”

“So you’re saying he died, like, ten minutes ago?!” Asahina asked, vocalizing the shock of the others. “That’s— That’s terrible!”

“Indeed. It’s a rather tragic event,” Oogami added, bowing her head and closing her eyes. “He has gone too soon.”

“If you guys don’t mind me asking,” Naegi started, deviating from the discussion of the investigation for the current moment. “How many tasks do you guys have?” A chorus of ‘Five’s were given after a moment. “Alright. I was just wondering.”

“Is there something regarding the number of tasks?” Kirigiri asked, unsure of the relevance of the question. “Not yet, I don’t think. But I do have another question.” He turned to Maizono and asked, “Maizono, how come you came from Weapons when you came back from the bathroom?”

“What do you mean?” Maizono asked in turn. “I was just coming back from it.”

“But there’s no bathroom in the main area,” Naegi countered, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. “And if it was in that room we woke up in, you’d be coming from the opposite side.”

“Maybe you missed it!” Maizono’s oppositions were slowly becoming more desperate. “Come on, Naegi, you know me! I would never do such a thing!”

“No, that’s wrong. I couldn’t miss it, it would be showing up on the map if it was here. I don’t want to believe you did it, Maizono, but…”

“Don’t you trust me?!” Maizono grabbed Naegi’s arm, staring right into his eyes in distress. “Naegi, please! I didn’t do it! I’m not an imposter and I didn’t kill Hagakure!”

“It’s not a matter of trust, Maizono. It’s about logic,” Kirigiri said. “The evidence is starting to work against you.”

“I didn’t do it!” Maizono shouted, tears forming in her eyes. “Please!”

“Come to think of it, you’ve been acting strange this entire time,” Naegi continued. “Ever since we got here, you’ve seemed a bit… concerned. Like there’s something you’re trying to hide.”

“I don’t have anything to hide! And there’s nothing to prove I did it!”

“Actually, I _can_ prove it.“ Naegi pointed to her helmet. “With your task list. You said you only had one task, right?”

“U-Um, yeah—“

“Can you show us the task?”

Maizono quickly pressed the button to bring up her task list, finding that it didn’t work. “Wh—“ she stuttered, repeatedly pressing the button. “I-It’s not working!”

“Uh oh! You’ve found a secret!” All of a sudden, Monokuma appeared on the tablet screens again. “Task lists are unavailable during emergency discussions! Puhuhu!” And then he disappeared again.

“I’m sorry, Maizono,” Naegi apologized, sadness forming on his features. He closed his eyes and continued with, “I want to believe you didn’t do it, but...”

“Naegi, please, I didn’t do it! I promise! You have to believe me, I could never do something like this!” Maizono cried out, her attempts at persuasion failing by the minute. “Please! _Please_ believe me!”

Naegi sighed, ignoring the pleas of his friend. He closed his eyes and said, “Here’s what I think happened.”

_When we first got our helmets and found out what our tasks were, the imposter was shocked to find out that their only one was to commit murder. Me and the imposter were a pair at the time, and I turned to them and asked how many tasks they had. In a state of disturbance, they answered that they had_ _one_ _._

_When we had begun doing our tasks, the imposter watched us do them, knowing that they didn’t have a real one for themselves. It was all going smoothly until we reached Weapons, where I had to download data. That task requires a lot of waiting, which gave the imposter the perfect chance to strike._

_While waiting for the data to finish downloading in Weapons, the imposter told both me and Togami that they had to go to the bathroom. They’d ran through the Cafeteria and down the hallway, until reaching the Upper Engine. That’s where they saw Hagakure, refueling the engine all by himself._

_The imposter managed to lure Hagakure to the entrance of Administration, which was located in a small, dark, three way hallway. The ideal place to avoid detection. They probably did that by asking him to meet them there once he had to refill his canister with gas._

_When the two were in that hallway, the imposter fatally stabbed Hagakure several times and left him to die. And to make their daring escape, they used the vent that was located inside Administration. There, they discreetly moved to the entrance of another vent, which was_ _located near Navigation. And from there, they ran to rejoin me and Togami as we left Weapons for Administration, thinking they’d gotten away with their murder._

“Isn’t that right, Maizono Sayaka?”

“I— Um—“ Maizono stuttered, tearing up. “I—“

“Well?” Kirigiri started, crossing her arms. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

Maizono began hiccuping, which slowly turned into quiet sobs. “I’m sorry,” she apologized, taking her helmet off to wipe away her tears. “What was I supposed to do?” she continued, her voice wavering as she cried. “It’s the only thing I was meant to do, I didn’t— I didn’t want to…”

“Yet you still did it,” Togami commented. “How pathetic.”

“Puhuhu! Did you reach a decision?” Monokuma appeared on the tablet screens once again with a faux innocent smile on his face. “Good! It’s voting time!” 

“I’m sorry, everyone,” Maizono apologized in defeat, guilt laced in her words. “I really am.”

On the tablet, there was a list of every student, with their names in white boxes next to icons of their heads. Both Hagakure and Fukawa were on the list too, but their boxes were gray and their icons had pink x’s over them. As each person voted, a small text bubble with _I voted_ appeared next to their icons. Naegi was hesitant to vote, not wanting to condemn Maizono to her death, but he had no choice. He quietly clicked Maizono’s name, pressed the green check mark, and confirmed his vote.

After everyone had put their votes in, each person’s icon popped up under Maizono’s name, signifying that they had voted for her. Once all fourteen icons were displayed, the screen faded to black, and white text that read _Maizono Sayaka has been found guilty!_ flashed on the screen. 

Naegi was first to speak up, quietly saying, “Guess that’s it, then.”

“Yay! We get to eject her now!” Enoshima exclaimed, her playful attitude a stark contrast to the somber atmosphere. She stood up, her movements bouncy and excited. “Come on, what are we waiting for!? Let’s go!”

“Oh. Okay.” Ikusaba got up too, following Enoshima as she skipped to the ejection room. “She seems… happy about this,” Asahina said as the group watched the two sisters walk away. Their attention was drawn back to Maizono as the girl sniffled, quietly crying where she sat. “I’m sorry,” she repeated, bowing her head in shame. “I didn’t mean to kill him…”

“Ugh, you’re all, like, so boring!” Enoshima shouted, stomping back to the Cafeteria with Ikusaba behind her. She pointed at Maizono and ordered, “Mukuro! Bring her to the ejection room!” Ikusaba silently nodded, quickly running to Maizono and pulling her up out of her seat. “No, wait!” Maizono cried out, trying to free herself from Ikusaba’s— surprisingly tight— grasp. “I’m not ready yet!”

“This is for your own good,” Ikusaba spoke, her voice as cold as her expression. “Do not fight back.”

“Come on, come on! I’m shaking in my boots right now!” Enoshima’s boisterous energy flooded the room, though it was not contagious. She moved to the side so Ikusaba could pass through, Maizono in her arms as the former brought the latter to the ejection room. “Like, you guys want to say goodbye, don’t you?” Enoshima asked, doing a small twirl. “Let’s go already! Time’s wasting away!”

The rest of the students begrudgingly got up, none of them fully prepared for what was about to happen to their friend. Then, they followed Enoshima to the dreaded ejection room.

In the room, they could see Maizono behind a large pane of glass, crying in both fear and guilt. “Please, do we really have to do this?” she asked through hiccups and sobs, darting her eyes around the room. “Those are the rules!” Enoshima replied in a sing-song voice.

“You’re ejecting Mr. Hagakure too?!” Yamada shouted, drawing attention to Hagakure’s corpse laying near Maizono. “That’s so cruel!”

“Where would we put a dead body?” Togami asked, not amused at the outburst in the slightest. “Do you want it to rot on the floor? _Please_.”

“Anyway, you got any last words?” Enoshima bounded towards the lever next to the glass as she said that, waiting to see her classmates’ reactions. Maizono had already put her helmet back on, so her expression was mostly hidden by the dark glass in front of her face. She took a shaky breath, bowed her head, and said, “I know what I did was extremely wrong. I just hope you find it in your hearts to forgive me.” She looked up at everyone one last time, tears in her eyes as she gave her final farewell. “Goodbye!”

And with that, Enoshima pulled the lever, and in an instant, Maizono was gone. And a moment later, a string of words appeared on the looking glass.

**Maizono Sayaka was an imposter. 3 imposters remaining.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you just say you broke my phone? Gasp.  
> Hwoheheheh what the fuck. This is my phone and it’s shattered.  
> ...Oh. Wait, it’s not actually shattered?  
> Hwohehehehahoho, you got me there.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, Naegami nation. Come get y’all’s juices /j  
> Uh. Yeah so I gave up on waiting for my beta to. Well. Beta these chapters so now it’s just me fixing all of these. My bad. I hope they’re not too bad lol  
> I swear this’ll be important, but I have not once played an Ace Attorney game in my life. I know nothing about Ace Attorney. If something is off about the section with it, that’s why. Yeah

As the door to the galaxy closed and the glass barrier raised, the remaining thirteen students could only stand and stare.

Maizono Sayaka, who was revered by many as a talented singer and a wonderful friend, had vanished before their eyes without a moment’s notice. It wasn’t necessarily unjustified, as she _did_ kill Hagakure Yasuhiro in cold blood, but the pure shock that was shared between the group wouldn’t waver any time soon. “I can’t believe she’s really gone,” Naegi said, being the first one to speak. The entire ejection— and the discovery of Hagakure’s body, the discussion, everything— felt surreal. It was almost like some hellish dream that could be over any second.

But this wasn’t any dream. This was reality. A cruel reality where a friend can murder a friend at the drop of a hat, where someone can be accused of murder and be promptly executed… It just didn’t seem real. 

“What are we going to do now?” Fujisaki asked, turning to the group. “We do our tasks, duh,” Enoshima replied, seemingly not affected by the events that had transpired a few moments ago. “Speaking of, I’m bored. Come on, Mukuro, let’s go.” Ikusaba nodded simply and followed Enoshima back to the main areas of the ship. 

One by one, each pair left the ejection room, presumably to finish their tasks. Some attempted small conversations with their partners while others remained silent. Soon enough, everyone had left, sans Naegi and Togami.

Breaking the still air around them, Togami cleared his throat to get Naegi’s attention. The smaller male looked up at the taller as the latter said, “I have to admit, Naegi, that was a rather impressive display you put on.”

“...What do you mean?” That sounded like a compliment, but with Togami’s snide attitude, it could very well be mockery. Not only that, he wasn’t sure what exactly he was being complimented on. Togami rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. “I mean with the discussion. The speed at which you solved the case was quite admirable. I wasn’t expecting that from someone like you.”

“Oh. Um… Thanks, I think,” Naegi replied. “It was…” He shrugged his shoulders and looked away, sadness still lingering inside him. “It was easy to figure out once I put all the clues together.”

Togami gave a nod with a hum of approval, and turned away from the ejection room. “I suggest we go now,” he said. “We still have more tasks to do.”

“...You still want to work with me?” While Togami was, in the nicest term available, a complete _jerk_ , hearing him say he wanted to continue being in Naegi’s company made him happy. That was probably because the thought of being friends with him, or anyone for that matter, was exhilarating. It wasn’t enough for his grief to subside, but it slightly lifted his spirits up. “Naturally,” Togami responded. “I don’t know who else I would go with if not with you. Not like I’d want to go with anyone else anyway.” He muttered that last part, but Naegi picked up on it anyway. “There’s hardly any time to waste. Let’s go and finish our tasks.”

“Okay.” With that, the two left the ejection room, their last goodbye to Maizono and Hagakure left unsaid.

“I’m going to assume that you’d prefer not to visit Administration at the current moment,” Togami spoke as they entered the Cafeteria once more. Naegi gave a slight nod of his head as his answer. “You have a task in Medbay, correct? I suggest we go there first.”

It was kind of odd to have Togami lead them, considering how unwilling he was to cooperate before the discussion. That could be for the better though; it seemed like he was beginning to open up to Naegi. Key word being _seemed_ — That’s only what Naegi assumed.

The two quickly passed through the Cafeteria, Naegi avoiding looking down the hallway to Administration, until they entered Medbay. There, they saw Kirigiri and Celeste, the former on top of the large white pad in the corner of the room while the latter stood by the wall and stared at her partner. Celeste turned at the sound of their footsteps, greeting them with a simple “Hello, there.” Kirigiri turned her head as well to see who Celeste was talking to, and gave a plain nod of acknowledgement to them before turning back to the monitor on the wall. It seemed like she was doing the Medbay scan; the same task Naegi had.

Togami pressed a button on his helmet, presumably the map one, to determine where his task was located. “It’s on the screen,” he muttered to himself, staring at Kirigiri as her scan continued. “What is?” Naegi asked, looking up at Togami. Togami pursed his lips, adding, “My task, you moron. My task requires the screen.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry, it should only be a few more seconds,” Kirigiri said, her eyes fixated on the monitor in front of her. A moment later, the monitor beeped, and Kirigiri stepped off the pad. “It’s all yours.”

“Thanks,” Naegi answered for the both of them, stepping towards the pad himself. “Of course.” Celeste and Kirigiri made their way to the exit of Medbay, with a discussion on where they should go next. “I hope this one isn’t going to take as long as downloading data,” Naegi said, attempting to start a conversation of his own. “I’m sure it won’t be as tedious as _that_ one,” Togami replied, standing by the spot Celeste previously occupied to watch Naegi as the scan began. “After all, this _is_ a simple scan.”

“Right.” He got on top of the pad, and the scan immediately started. A green circle slowly started rising from it, with Naegi right in the middle of it. On the monitor, basic information about him was shown: name, weight, height, and vitals. How it could tell those things from just a circle, Naegi didn’t know. However, this spaceship has shown to harbour advanced technology, so it wasn’t _too_ unbelievable that a scanner could find these things about him. A green bar was under Naegi’s information, slowly filling up as the scan continued.

After a minute or so of standing, the pad— or rather, the scanner— beeped, signaling that the scan was over. “That didn’t take long at all,” Naegi commented just as the _Task completed!_ pop up showed up in his helmet. He stepped off the scanner, allowing Togami to use the monitor for _his_ task. 

“What are you supposed to do?” Naegi asked, watching as Togami began working on his task. “I’m inspecting samples,” Togami responded, just as five test tubes emerged on screen. “Though I’m not necessarily sure what they’re samples _of_.” He pressed the spacebar on the keyboard, as per instructions on the screen, and watched as a tube from the top of the screen filled the test tubes with a purple substance. Then, the tubes descended back where they came, and a message appeared on screen. _Go grab a coffee_ , it read. Togami groaned, looking annoyed as the counter next to the message slowly ticked down. “How much time must I waste idling about? This is ridiculous.”

“I mean, it _is_ telling you to take a break,” Naegi said, gesturing to the coffee message. “I guess it assumes you’d done other things by now.”

“I need no break. I need my tasks done.” 

“Do you… want to go and finish the other ones while it’s doing it’s thing?” While it wasn’t necessarily a bad suggestion, there was always the chance that progress would be lost. That conclusion was only speculation, though. “By the time I finish my other task, the machine would probably reset. Then I’d have to do it all over again, and for what?”

“...Good point.”

The two remained silent as the counter continued ticking down. Naegi wanted to talk more with Togami, but he didn’t have any more topics to discuss at his disposal. The two watched as the counter continued ticking, until it eventually reached zero. Once it did, the test tubes rose from where they fell, revealing that one was red rather than purple. The coffee message was replaced with _Select anomaly_ , and Togami promptly chose the red one. “Seems as if that was it,” he spoke, backing away from the monitor and moving towards the exit. “Once we’re done with Administration, our tasks will be finished.”

...Oh. Right. They still had to go to Administration. Naegi wasn’t sure if he was ready to go back there. The wound left from the discussion was still fresh, and he wasn’t sure he was entirely prepared for it. He reluctantly followed Togami out of Medbay, but before they left the hallway, Naegi stopped and grabbed onto the taller male’s arm. “Wait, do we have to do it… right now?” Togami turned back to him, clearly unamused. “Do you want these tasks done or not?”

“Well, I mean… I don’t think I’m ready yet. Y’know since…”

“You’ll be fine.” Togami continued to make his way to Administration, dismissing Naegi’s concerns. Though he truly wasn’t ready to revisit the hallway, it was the only way to get to the room which had their final task. They went through the Cafeteria again, turning in the middle to go down the hallway.

Upon entering the small hallway, they could see it was… unnaturally clean. There was no trace of anything to indicate a murder had ever taken place. There wasn’t even a single drop of blood on the ground. “That’s rather strange,” Togami said. “The entire area is spotless. Who managed to clean it up so quickly?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t want to be here,” Naegi answered, quickly walking into Administration. The hallway was extremely unsettling to him.

Once he was inside, with Togami following soon after, he pressed the button on his helmet to locate his task. Just his luck that it was right next to the hallway, on the monitor on the wall. He sighed and walked up to it, finding that it turned on right as he approached it. He pressed the upload button that was under the two manila folders, and watched as the pixel version of himself carried files from the Weapons folder to the Headquarters folder. Wait… Headquarters?

So their ship had contact with a building somewhere on Earth. If they could find a way to reach it, they could very well find a way to go back down and get off the ship. His thoughts were interrupted, however, as a groan of frustration was elicited by Togami, who was trying to swipe a card on some sort of card reader. “Go through,” he grumbled, his anger increasing as the machine made a beep. He swiped again, being met with another beep. “Do you need help?” Naegi asked, continuing to watch Togami struggle with the card reader. “No, I can do it,” Togami replied through gritted teeth, swiping the card again. “If you say so.”

Naegi had his doubts that Togami could make the card go through. 

It was just a repeated pattern of swiping and errors. Swipe, beep, swipe, beep, swipe— A different beep was heard, and Togami breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally,” he muttered, standing straighter and narrowing his eyes. “If I ever come in contact with this wretched machine again, I’m going to lose it.” He joined Naegi in standing by the monitor, just as he did in Weapons before. “Swiping a card can’t be that hard, can it?” Naegi asked, tilting his head as he asked the question. “The card reader makes it hard,” Togami answered. “It’s faulty. If it wasn’t at a specific speed, it wouldn’t go through.”

“Oh.” The conversation ended there.

It felt like deja vu, standing by the wall like they were. Perhaps that was only because their actions were mirroring that of their time in Weapons. Only this instance… didn’t involve Maizono. It was rather sad to think about, really. Which is why Naegi was refusing to think about it. Instead, he tilted his head slightly to get another look at Togami.

There was no doubt that Togami was attractive. Though most of his looks were obscured by his helmet, Naegi could still make out a few details: cerulean blue eyes, white half-rimmed glasses, light blond hair that framed his face in such a way that— Wait, why was he thinking about him like this? That’s… weird. He shouldn’t be thinking like that, especially when the man he was fawning over was standing right next to him. But, as he thinks over and over again, there’s something about Togami that he’s drawn to, and he doesn’t know what it is. “Staring is rude, Naegi.” 

And like that, his thoughts were broken once more. “I’m sorry,” Naegi apologized, darting his eyes away. “I don’t know what came over me.”

“Hmph. Please consider working on your manners.” His tone didn’t sound harsh. In fact, he sounded… entertained? Was Naegi amusing to him? The shorter boy didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. Looking back at Togami, though, revealed that he had a smile on his face. It was barely noticeable, but staring hard enough would make it evident. Perhaps Togami liked the attention Naegi was— while mostly unintentionally— giving him.

A small part of Naegi wondered if Togami had the same thoughts that he did. Was Naegi attractive to him too? That seemed unlikely, but he hoped that that was the answer.

All of a sudden, the monitor beeped, signaling that the data had finished uploading. Additionally, _Task completed!_ flashed on the glass of Naegi’s helmet. “I’m done,” he said, looking up at Togami again. This time, he promised himself he wouldn’t stare. “Alright, then.” Togami gave a nod and walked past Naegi, leaving the Administration room. “Wait, where are you going?” Naegi asked, following after him. “What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know,” he answered, entering the Cafeteria once again. “There must be something around here for me to do.”

“So you’re just going to walk around?”

“Unless you have a better idea, yes.”

Aimlessly walking around wasn’t too terrible of an idea, but there wasn’t really anywhere for them to go. They’d just end up going in circles until they got bored. The closest thing they could do besides that was sitting in the— That’s it. “Uh, we could… sit down at one of the tables,” Naegi suggested, pointing towards the Cafeteria tables. “And what exactly would we do there?” Togami countered, raising an eyebrow at him. “Maybe… Maybe talk about each other? Or… get to know each other.” he muttered that last part, as it was more of a hope he had. “That’s a stupid idea.”

Well, there goes that hope. “But, I have nothing else to do, so I suppose I’ll indulge you for a little while.” And it was back. “Cool! Thank you!” Now filled with excitement, Naegi guided the two of them to a random table. The table chosen was in the upper lefthand corner of the room, situated next to the wall and the large window that showed the entirety of space. Or, at least what they could _see_ of space.

Figuring that he wouldn’t need his helmet anymore, Naegi twisted it slightly to loosen it from its place, subsequently pulling it off and putting it down on the table. “What are you doing?” Togami asked, watching as Naegi ran a hand through his hair to smooth out the messiness. “I mean, we don’t have any more tasks to do, right?” he answered with a question, tilting his head. “If we don’t have any tasks, we don’t really need to wear the helmets anymore. And it’s kind of stuffy anyway, I don’t like wearing it too much.”

“You have a fair point.” Togami thought it over for a moment before ultimately following suit, removing his own helmet and placing it next to him. He too smoothed out the loose strands of hair that was caused by wearing the helmet, looking down at Naegi after he finished. 

Truth be told, having the helmet off just made him hotter.

After a couple moments of the two staring at each other, though Naegi would deny that he fell into doing that again, Togami spoke up with “Well? This was _your_ idea, start asking questions.”

“Oh— my bad.” He didn’t necessarily have a specific topic in mind, or any for that matter, but like Togami said, he _was_ the one who instigated this discussion. He had to think of something fast. “Um… So what’s your favourite… Colour?” That was a good thing to ask a new friend, right? Right. “Green. Next question.”

“You’re not even going to ask me about mine?”

“If you feel the need to tell me, you may.” Togami was being awfully rude, but that just seemed to be how he was. He was rude when they first met, and they didn’t know much about each other yet, so there shouldn’t have been expectations for things to change so quickly. “Oh. Uh, well… Mine is green too.”

“How fascinating,” Togami said, his words dripping with sarcasm. “I’m very intrigued.”

“...Well, at least it’s a thing that we have in common, right?”

“Perhaps. Though I doubt there’ll be anything else similar about it.” And he was still harsh. This did not waver Naegi’s determination, though. He wanted Togami to like him, even if that was only on a friendship level, and he’ll get him to. Even if it was the last thing Naegi ever did. “Okay, how about…” he started, thinking of another question to keep the conversation going. “What do you do for fun?” 

Togami shrugged, dismissively saying, “Simply put, I study the stock market.”

“... _That’s_ fun to you?” While the question wasn’t intended to come out condescending, that’s how it was taken, shown by Togami rolling his eyes and scoffing. “Of course a plebeian such as yourself wouldn’t take joy in such a complex hobby. You probably do brainless things like browsing the internet all day.”

“I—“ No, there was no way to refute that. His interests were pretty basic, and he _does_ browse the internet frequently throughout the day. Togami simply looked down at him and scoffed. “See? I’m right.”

“You don’t have to be so mean about it though…” They should move on from this topic. “Uh, how about…” Naegi began, trying to think of another question. This was surprisingly hard, even for him. Then again, he never gets the chance to make friends with someone. He was always with his pre-existing friend group. Well… he was before he got on this ship. “Do you have a favourite… video game?”

“Why would you assume I’d waste my time with such childish things?” And of course, he was met with a bitter response. That was kind of a dumb question anyway, Togami didn’t seem like the type of person to play video games. “Though, there is _one_ series that I’m particularly fond of.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“Naegi, have you ever heard of Ace Attorney?” 

Considering his massive ego, it wasn’t all too surprising that he’d pick Ace Attorney of all things to play. In a way, its premise was sort of like what they were going through right now, what with murder cases and trials and everything… “Yeah! I’ve heard of it! I’ve never really played it, but it looks fun!”

“I’d assumed you’ve never played it. You seem more of the type to play garbage like Animal Crossing.”

Wow. It was almost like Togami could read him like a book. His favourite series was, indeed, Animal Crossing. Naegi chose not to comment on that though. “To be fair, though, you would need rather high intellect to understand the intricacies of Ace Attorney,” Togami continued. Seemed like Naegi opened a gateway to Togami’s boasting. “It’s rather elaborate gameplay is no match for a commoner such as—“

Unexpectedly, the two heard swift footsteps from the hallway leading to Medbay, making their way to the Cafeteria. In the next moment, Fujisaki appeared, looking petrified as he rushed over to the emergency button. Quickly, he took the plastic lid off of it and slammed his hand over the button, and the automated voice rang through the ship. “Emergency! Please report to the Cafeteria!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing bad EVER happens to the Togamis.  
> B W A H


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may be asking yourself, “Why hasn’t Tyler updated in like three days? Aren’t these chapters already written?”  
> The answer to that is. Friday Night Funkin has consumed my life in the course of three days. I’m having massive brainrot and all I can think about is Girlfriend x Boyfriend x Pico. Please help me. I don’t know what’s happening. It’s all I’ve been thinking about. I haven’t been able to do anything else  
> Anyway girl why we going so fast??? Why this chapter so short *Doesn’t make it longer*

“Fujisaki, what’s wrong?” Naegi asked, getting up from the table and rushing over to Fujisaki. 

Fujisaki looked terrified; his face had paled, his eyes were wide and full of tears, and he was shaking. “I— He—“ he stuttered, barely able to get his words out. Before he could go any further, his fear overtook him, and he started sobbing.

Gradually, the room filled with each crew mate, confusion hanging in the air. Once everyone was gathered together, the confusion only grew, as there was nobody missing. “What is the meaning of this?!” Ishimaru shouted, though he wasn’t pointing at anyone in particular. “Why are we having a meeting if no one has died?!”

“I-I called it!” Fujisaki cried, rubbing his eyes to try and stop the endless flow of tears. “I-I did!”

“What happened?” Kirigiri asked, her voice lacking any distinct emotion. “There must be a reason for you to call a meeting.” Fujisaki quickly pointed to Oowada, his hand trembling as he did so. “Oowada! I-I saw Oowada come up from the vent in Electrical!”

“The fuck are you talking about?!” Oowada retaliated, clenching his fist as he shouted as well. “I’m not going in any goddamn vents!”

“I know it was you!” Fujisaki countered, retracting his hand and holding it close to his chest. “I saw y-your hair come out first! And then you looked at me l-like you wanted to kill me!”

“That is quite the bold claim,” Celeste said. “Kuwata, you’re Fujisaki’s partner, yes? Did you see Oowada in the vent as well?”

“Sorry, but no,” Kuwata replied, shrugging his shoulders. He quickly raised his hands and continued with, “But in my defense, I wasn’t even in Electrical. I was scouting out Communications.”

“Ishimaru, what about you?” Kirigiri asked, directing attention to Ishimaru. “Oowada’s your partner. Did he leave your side at all?”

“As a matter of fact, he did!” Ishimaru answered. “One second, I was checking the security cameras, and the next, Oowada was gone!”

Out of the corner of his eye, Naegi noticed Enoshima giggling, a mischievous smile on her face as she gave Ikusaba a look of devilry. “Hey! I have a question!” Enoshima yelled, garnering the attention of everyone else. She attempted to contain her laughter as she pointed at Naegi and Togami, shouting, “Why don’t you two have your helmets on!?”

“We finished our tasks, so we came to the Cafeteria to talk,” Naegi answered, though he wasn’t sure why it was being brought up. This was the least of their worries right now. “In fact, our helmets are—“ He gestured to both of their discarded helmets on the table they were sitting at before the meeting was called. “—Right over there.”

“Ooh! How suspicious!” Enoshima said. Her surprise could almost be mistaken as authentic. “Maybe you two were actually…” she darted her eyes to each participant as she gasped, presumably to cause suspense before making her claim. Each student looked at her warily, waiting for her to finish her sentence. “Kissing!” she shouted, standing up and slamming her hands down on the table. Togami sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Are you going to keep assuming we’d do such a disgusting act every time we’re alone together? Not to mention how illogical of a claim that is, considering how large the Cafeteria is. Surely the risk of being caught would stop us from doing such a thing anyway.”

“Junko, why are you—“

“But how do we know you’re not lying?!” Enoshima pushed, a wicked grin displayed for all to see. She rubbed her chin and looked up, simulating a thinking position. “Is there anyone to prove that?!” She put her hands on her hips. “There isn’t! You were kissing!”

“No, that’s wrong! We weren’t kissing!” Naegi countered, defending both his and Togami’s innocence in a discussion that shouldn’t be happening anyway. “And stop accusing us of doing that! We would never!”

“Naegi!” Enoshima whined, sitting back down and resting her hand on her cheek. “Come on! Your face is red, it’s so obvious!”

“Junko, stop it,” Ikusaba said, tugging on Enoshima’s arm. The older twin looked rather uncomfortable as this turn of events continued. “You’re making hi— them uncomfortable.”

“Shut up,” Enoshima replied, darting her eyes to Ikusaba. “You know I’m right, that’s why you’re telling me to stop.”

“You’re just trying to…” Ikusaba whispered the last part of her response; it was so quiet that nobody else could make out what she said. Enoshima rolled her eyes at whatever her sister had said and clicked her tongue. “You’re, like, so not fun. _At all._ ”

“Pardon me for interrupting,” Oogami started, breaking through the conversation. “But should we not be discussing whether or not Oowada is an imposter?”

“Yeah, that’s right!” Asahina agreed, nodding her head. “That’s what’s important right now!”

“Yeah. And I don’t think anyone’s really interested in what Mr. Naegi and Mr. Togami do in their… free time,” Yamada commented, a grimace shown on his face. “Indeed. Now can we _please_ get back to the topic at hand?” Togami said, crossing his arms as he scowled. “This is hardly important when our lives could potentially be in danger.”

“Correct. Now Oowada, why did you leave Ishimaru alone?” Kirigiri asked, diverting the conversation back to its original subject. “That’s easy, I uh… went off to do my own task,” Oowada claimed. “This shit-for-brains was too busy staring at the security cameras.”

“Hey! Monitoring the security cameras is a very important job!” Ishimaru countered, pointing towards Oowada. “They’re not important, they only show the hallways!”

“Do not start a debate on the importance of the security cameras,” Kirigiri ordered. “Where exactly were you heading to?”

“Oh, y’know,” Oowada started, making vague hand gestures as he spoke. “To the fucking, uh… storage area. Y’know.”

“And what business did you have there?”

“What is this, a goddamn interrogation?!” Oowada shouted, now getting defensive. “I was going to the storage place! That’s all you need to know!”

“It’s a simple question,” Kirigiri stated, raising an eyebrow. “Are you unable to answer?”

“Of course I can answer! I was… I was going to move shit around!”

“And why exactly would you do that?”

“Does it matter?!”

“I don’t think we’re going to get a clear answer out of him,” Naegi intervened. “Plus, he’s only half of this incident. Fujisaki, what were you doing before Oowada came out through the vent?”

“W-Well, um,” Fujisaki started, wiping away his frightened tears. “I was in Electrical, still fixing the wires. I-I know it doesn’t sound right, considering there are only a few in the box, but it takes a long time since you have to connect each frayed conductor back together. I have really shaky hands, so it was hard for me to do…”

Naegi could personally believe that statement. Fujisaki seemed to have trouble with the wires when Naegi, Togami, and Maizono had first seen him in Electrical. “And… And next thing I know, I’m hearing noises come from the vent right next to the wire box. And th-then I saw Oowada pop his head out. And before he could do anything, I ran as fast as I could to hit the emergency button.”

“Interesting,” Kirigiri muttered. Louder, she continued with, “His alibi is much more detailed than _yours_ , Oowada. What do you have to say?”

“This is such bullshit,” Oowada said in response, rolling his eyes with an annoyed look on his face. “I didn’t go through the vent! I was in the storage room!”

“I hardly think moving things around is a task,” Kirigiri said. “I’m personally inclined to believe Fujisaki.”

“I agree,” Naegi added. “His story is much more believable than yours.”

Suddenly, the tablets erupted from inside the table, appearing in front of each member. Maizono’s tablet, however, which was next to Naegi, did not appear. “Are you ready to vote!?” Monokuma asked as he showed up on the screens. “How exciting!” Monokuma faded away, revealing the voting screen. It looked the same as before, but this time Maizono’s box was greyed out, and her icon had a pink _X_ on it, just like with Hagakure and Fukawa.

“Come on, you seriously can’t be believing this shit, right?!” Oowada yelled, slamming a fist on the table. “Are you fucking serious right now?!”

“Hmph. I don’t see how anyone could defend you at this point,” Togami commented, pressing Oowada’s pixel icon on the screen and voting. “There’s no evidence to contradict what Fujisaki claimed.”

“I always knew you were a troublemaker!” Ishimaru shouted, yet again pointing at Oowada. “I am not surprised you have turned out to be a criminal as well!”

“Jesus Christ,” Oowada muttered, rubbing the space between his eyes. “This is fucking stupid.”

Soon enough, everyone had put their votes in. Well, everyone except Oowada, who was shooting deadly glares at each student while calling the group obscenities. “Oowada, you gotta vote,” Asahina said, pointing down at her tablet. “You’re the only one left.”

“I don’t give a shit! I’m not voting!”

“Now, now, Mr. Oowada,” Monokuma scolded, appearing solely on Oowada’s tablet. “You have to vote! If you don’t, you’ll be severely punished!”

“Aren’t I getting the majority vote anyway?!” Oowada yelled at the bear, jabbing his finger at the screen. “It won’t matter if I vote!”

“Of course it matters if you vote,” Monokuma replied. “That’s how a democracy works!”

“This isn’t any damn democracy I’ve ever seen!”

“Come on, man, just give it up and vote already,” Kuwata said, giving Oowada what looked like a sympathetic look. “You’re going to lose anyway.”

“Indeed! I suggest you vote as well!” Ishimaru added, putting his hands on his hips in an authoritative manner. “Please do not hold us up any longer with your negligence!”

Seeing as there was no other option, Oowada pressed down on his tablet, submitting his vote. One by one, each icon of the remaining students popped up under Oowada’s name. This list included Oowada’s own icon as well. 

After everyone had appeared, the screen faded to black, and the words _Oowada Mondo has been found guilty!_ flashed onto the screen in bold white letters. “Damnit,” Oowada mumbled to himself, shaking his head. His expression quickly soured, and he banged his fist on the table. “ _Damnit_!”

“That’s so sad!” Enoshima said, a playful grin on her face. Just like with Maizono, she seemed happy that Oowada was going to be ejected. Her playfulness didn’t end there, though, as she continued teasing with, “I can’t believe how sad that is! Oowada, how could you?”

“I-I’m sorry…” Fujisaki apologized, looking down at his hands with remorse. “I couldn’t let you murder anyone while knowing that you’re an imposter…”

Oowada gave a sigh of sorrow and replied, “I can’t really blame you. I would’ve done the same thing.”

“Would you?” Kirigiri asked with a raise of her eyebrow. “Considering your display during this discussion, I don’t think you’d be very keen on defending anyone but yourself.”

“This is boring! I don’t want to watch this anymore!” Enoshima interrupted, waving her hand with faux annoyance. “Mukuro!” she called with a sing-song voice.

As Ikusaba stood up to grab Oowada, Oowada said, “You don’t need to do that. I’ll go over there myself.”

“You’ve given up rather quickly,” Oogami responded, saying what everyone in the room was thinking. “Have you accepted your fate that quickly?”

“Listen, it’s better to go out as a man than a coward.” Oowada stood up, leaving his spot at the table. He silently started walking in the direction of the ejection room, with everyone else following behind him.

The short trip to the ejection room felt rather solemn. While nobody had been killed by Oowada, they were now losing someone they once thought was their friend. 

Another friend who ended up being a traitor to them all.

Once they reached the ejection room, Oowada was already in the space near the hatch. The glass was lowered once he stopped moving, and he put his hands on his hips with a sad expression on his face. “Man, my bad,” he said, looking at each member of the group. “I wouldn’t be an imposter if I had the choice.”

“None of the imposters would be, I don’t think,” Naegi replied, adding onto what Oowada said. “Nobody would really want to kill anyone if they had a choice.”

“I think most of all I need to apologize to Fujisaki,” Oowada continued, looking towards the small boy in front of the glass. “Sorry for trying to kill you and everything. I don’t know what came over me.”

“O-Oh, um… It’s okay, Oowada,” Fujisaki accepted, though he still looked a bit skittish from the entire ordeal. “At least I didn’t, um— Die.”

“Yeah. Guess not.” Oowada turned around, his back to the rest of the students. “Any last words!?” Enoshima exclaimed, standing by the lever to eject Oowada. She bounced where she stood, filled with exuberance of what was to come. Oowada tilted his head to get one last view of the others, simply apologizing with, “Sorry.”

And with that, the door to space had opened, and Oowada was gone in an instant.

**Oowada Mondo was an imposter. 2 imposters remaining.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw, youw tummy huwts? Do my baby want a tummy ru— Delete it. I’m being serious, delete it.  
> What do you mean you’re going to “show Naegi?” WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU JUST WON A BET? DON’T TRY AND RUN AWAY


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My head hurts  
> I am totally not going to use part of this chapter for my dumb Animal Crossing fic I haven’t updated since July because I don’t care about Animal Crossing anymore. I am not doing that. Totally not.  
> Uh im exhausted. Yeah. Still thinking of the funny newgrounds people speaking in bee bee bee noises  
> Also why is this. This is going so fast?? How did this end up being 28 chapters when—  
> Anyway this is dumb lmao

It was truly sad to see Oowada go. One moment, he had been standing in their view after being caught in the act of committing murder, and in the next he had vanished like the wind. The group had stood at the glass in silence, quietly mourning their newly lost friend.

Though, their grief couldn’t last too long. Most of them still had the rest of their tasks to do. Each remaining pair left one by one, until the ones who were left were Naegi, Togami, Fujisaki, and Kuwata. 

Fujisaki quietly tugged on Kuwata’s sleeve, whispering something that Naegi couldn’t discern. After Fujisaki leaned away from Kuwata, he trotted to Naegi and Togami. “You guys don’t need your helmets anymore, right?” he asked, his eyebrows creasing as he asked the question. He followed it up with another question after the two nodded, saying, “Do you mind if I borrow one? There’s something I think I want to try.”

“You can borrow mine,” Naegi offered, giving Fujisaki a small smile. “What do you need it for?”

“Well, um, the helmets have very advanced technology,” Fujisaki started, looking to the side as he let out his idea. “And there are computers in Communications… Or so I’ve been told. So, um, I think I’d like to try and programme something to make life easier for everyone. And I’d like to put it into the helmets. I just need one to try and implement it.”

“Oh! That sounds really cool!” Naegi complimented, causing a light blush to dust on Fujisaki’s cheeks. “Go ahead and use my helmet! It’s in the Cafeteria!”

“Thank you, Naegi!” Fujisaki thanked, running off to obtain the helmet. “Hey, don’t just leave me behind!” Kuwata said, following after Fujisaki. 

Well, at least Naegi was able to make him feel better after almost being murdered.

And yet again, it was now just him and Togami standing by the glass again. The silence didn’t last long, as Naegi asked, “Do you want to keep talking in the Cafeteria?”

Togami looked down at Naegi, narrowing his eyes. Though, he didn’t look patronizing while doing it. Rather, it looked like he was analyzing Naegi. “Togami?”

“What are you getting out of this?” Togami asked suddenly, crossing his arms. “What are you going to do with the information I’ve been giving you?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“It means exactly what it means. What do you need this information for?”

Did he… assume that Naegi was collecting information on him for some ulterior motive? There was no reason to do such a thing, why would he assume that? “Well?”

“I don’t— What would I even do with it? I just want to get to know you better.” 

“Why, exactly?” He was being stubborn. Naegi didn’t see a reason why he had to press the issue. “...Because I want to know more about my friend,” he answered, no hint of malice in his voice. He did try to sound serious, though. “...Friend?” 

His answer seemed to shock Togami. His mouth was slightly agape and he looked confused. Naegi was half-expecting a response along the lines of ‘You and I will never be friends,’ or something, but that wasn’t what came out. Instead, his cheeks flushed to a similar colour as Fujisaki’s had been when Naegi accepted his request. “We’re friends?” he asked, covering his mouth with his fist and looking away. “I mean, I think so. I hope you want to be too,” Naegi said, giving him a light smile. 

Truth be told, Naegi was starting to desire… _more_. More as in, more than friendship. He found that, despite Togami’s abrasive nature, he really liked him. He seemed like he’d be nice as a partner, and Naegi wanted to hold his hand. Perhaps even give him a hug.

Though, the chance to do such a thing was far from his reach at the current moment. After all, Togami seemed to be surprised at the mere mention of friendship. It would be a long time before Naegi even got an opportunity to ask, and that wasn’t even considering which gender Togami was attracted to in the first place.

Togami pushed his glasses farther up on his face, regaining his composure from his slight slip up. “Alright then,” he started, though he didn’t make eye contact with Naegi. “We may talk some more, if that is what you wish.”

“Really? Thank you!” Naegi exclaimed. He grabbed Togami’s wrist and began leading them both back to their previous table in the Cafeteria. Togami didn’t protest being pulled by Naegi, simply letting the latter do what he wanted. 

The two made it back to the table, which was still as they left it. Well, except for the fact that Naegi’s helmet was gone, but that wasn’t too important, considering he didn’t have any tasks left to do. They sat back in the places they were in before as well, which were them situated in front of one another. “So then, what shall the next question be?” Togami asked, arching an eyebrow. He seemed slightly amused at what was to come.

And… Naegi didn’t have an answer. He looked up for a brief moment to think up another answer, tapping his finger on his chin as he hummed. “You seem like the type of person to like coffee,” he said, looking back to Togami and propping his head in his hands with a smile. “Do you like coffee? And if you do, how do you take it?”

“You’re very observant,” Togami replied, a smirk tugging at his lips. “I do, indeed, like coffee.” He paused for a moment before his eyes narrowed again, giving off a challenging aura. “Instead of telling you my typical order, try and guess it.”

That was certainly unexpected. Then again, many unexpected things seemed to happen with Togami. Not just when he’s by Naegi’s side, but himself as a whole. Naegi’s position switched back to when he was thinking, looking up thoughtfully as he determined his answer. “You don’t seem like the person to take any sugar,” he started, saying his thoughts out loud. Togami seemed intrigued, watching him closely. “And I don’t think you’d be pretty fond of cream either…” Suddenly, he realized the answer, gasping as he figured it out. “I see now! You like it black!”

“Impressive,” Togami complimented, leaning back a bit with a satisfied look on his face. “You managed to get it right.” Naegi smiled back, glad that he could find the correct answer on his first guess. Togami continued the conversation with, “Tell me, Naegi, how do _you_ prefer your coffee?”

Naegi wasn’t the biggest fan of coffee, but on the occasion that he did get it… “I like it with a little bit of both,” he answered, tilting his head to the side as he spoke. “I don’t want it black, but I don’t want it overly sweet either, y’know?”

“That seems like a very _you_ choice,” Togami replied, nodding his head as he took in the information. “It fits well with your personality.”

“It does?”

“Think of it like this. A coffee order tells a lot about a person.” Seemed like Togami was going to begin a lecture. Not that Naegi minded, but he didn’t take Togami as a coffee connoisseur. “The amount of sweeteners and extra additives correlate with one’s personality. For example, to describe you, you’re a particularly kind person.” 

Naegi didn’t respond to the supposed compliment with words, but he did feel his cheeks heat up from it. “Though, you’re not as simple as that. When need be, you can be strong and defend what you think is right without backing down. This brings us back to the coffee. Your coffee is moderately sweet, as you yourself are.”

Now he’s calling him sweet?! That must be an intended compliment, right? Maybe even flirting? Naegi didn’t know if that was the case, but he sure hoped it was. “However, the sweetness isn’t overbearing. There is still room for the initial taste of the coffee, while the additives only linger on the side. It’s a parallel to how you are. Understand?”

“I think so, yeah! You must know a lot about coffee, huh, Togami?” It was an interesting topic to discuss when analyzed in the way Togami did it. Without this conversation, Naegi never would’ve learned about the symbolism regarding the beverage. “Well, it’s one of many things I’m interested in,” Togami replied, nodding at Naegi’s inference. “It’s a bit poetic when put into retrospect, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Most definitely!”

After leaving the conversation on that note, Naegi’s mind began to wander a bit. He couldn’t lie, he was thinking about Togami’s comparison between his personality and his coffee preference. The comment was quick-passing, and Naegi hardly caught it, but there was no doubt that the taller male had called him _sweet_ of all things. He would like to ask about it, but he’d like to hope just a little bit more that it was some sort of indirect flirting rather than a mere observation of his personality. “Naegi,” Togami spoke after a short bit. “What are you doing?”

The question didn’t really sound like a question, but rather a statement. However, Naegi snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes widening as he realized what he’d been doing. “Sorry! I was just thinking about stuff.”

“...Like?”

Naegi averted the taller boy's gaze, fiddling with his hands under the table. He didn’t think Togami would take too kindly to the knowledge that he was overanalyzing a few comments in his coffee speech. “It’s nothing,” Naegi answered, giving a shy smile. “Don’t worry about it.”

Togami looked at him skeptically, but didn’t press the matter further. He _did_ have that look in his eyes again, though, seeming as if he were studying Naegi. Either that, or he was trying to bore into his very soul. “Very well, then. Are you going to continue asking questions, or will you choose to continue staring into space?”

“Oh, uh—“ He still didn’t have any extra questions prepared, but he _did_ want to ask about… No, he couldn’t. Not yet. “—I’ll ask one more, and then I’ll stop.”

“Very well, then. Ask.”

Perhaps he should roll with the topic of coffee? That seemed like a good one. “Have you ever been to that one foreign coffee chain, Starbucks? I’ve seen it around a lot, so…” 

The obvious answer was going to be no. He knew right when he asked it. Togami wouldn’t go for some commoners coffee from a chain; he probably wouldn’t even touch it with a ten foot pole. Togami took a moment to answer, formulating his response. “I did have it once,” he replied, looking less than interested at the question. “It wasn’t _too_ bad for something from America. However, I don’t believe I’d ever go back. I already have people to make my coffee for me.”

“That’s because you’re rich, right?” It wasn’t surprising to know that someone whose talent was, quite literally, being rich, would have personalized butlers, maids, and others to make him whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. “Precisely. The best of the best work under me because I can afford it, therefore I don’t need to go to some coffee shop for good coffee. But besides that—“ He paused, standing up from his spot and taking his helmet into his hands. “That was your last question, yes? Shall we roam about?”

“Oh— Sure thing!” Naegi stood up as well, quickly making his way to Togami’s side of the table to walk next to him. “Where are we going to go?”

“Around.” Togami began walking in the direction of the Upper Engine, glancing back to check if Naegi was following him. Naegi was quick to join his side, matching Togami’s pace as he walked. 

The first thing Naegi, and probably Togami as well, saw, was that Yamada was still working on fueling the engines. This time, however, Ishimaru was the one who was helping him, noticeably with a canister in his hands pouring fuel into the engine. As soon as he finished and turned around to retrieve more fuel, he jumped at the sight of Naegi and Togami. “You two!” he shouted, pointing at both of them. “Quit dawdling and do the rest of your tasks!”

“We’re done with them though,” Naegi answered, looking confused. “I thought we said that during the meeting.” Ishimaru took a moment to process that, maybe even trying to remember the quote. Suddenly, his expression changed to shock, and he quickly bowed. “My apologies! I must have forgotten!”

“It’s okay, really.” Naegi wasn’t sure why this was an issue, but then again, Ishimaru was practically the Ultimate Hall Monitor. “However, do not think you should distract others during their tasks!” Ishimaru stood straight back up, giving an authoritative aura off. “Please allow them to finish without fault!”

“You got it!” With that, Naegi waved as Togami walked away, the latter being fed up with the conversation. 

They passed Yamada as he fueled the lower engine, passed the entrance to Electrical, until meeting the doorway into Communications. “We haven’t been here yet,” Togami said, turning into the direction of the door. “I want to see what’s inside.”

“Wait, but isn’t Fujisaki in there working?” Naegi asked, grabbing Togami’s wrist before he could enter the room. “So? He won’t mind,” Togami answered, walking inside anyway. Curiosity would end up getting the better of Naegi, though, as he followed inside as well, having not been in Communications either.

Communications was full of different electronic equipment, ranging from servers to audio recorders to multiple computers. To the right of the entrance was Fujisaki, wearing a pair of headphones while vigorously typing on the keyboard connected to the computer he was at. Upon looking closely, they could see Naegi’s helmet connected to the computer as well through a wire. “I don’t think we should bother him,” Naegi said, indirectly urging Togami to leave the room with him.

Togami, however, took a look around at the objects in the room. He walked up to one of the vacant computers, more specifically the centre one, and moved the mouse around to wake it up. It did wake up, flashing green with a login screen, but neither of them knew the password, so Togami let it be. “Whatever,” he grumbled, glaring at the computer. “We may leave.”

The two silently left Communications, having seen nothing too useful, sans Fujisaki typing away at the computer he was on, and walked off to wherever their next location would be. 

“If I’m not mistaken, Navigations should be the closest room down this hallway,” Togami said as they passed by Shields, mostly talking to himself. “I don’t believe we’ve been there either.”

“So that’ll be where we go next?” Naegi asked in tandem, though the answer to that was obvious already. “Naturally. It would be logical to go in order, would it not be?”

“...Guess so.” 

They went down the long twisting hallway, Naegi warily eyeing the vent on the floor in one of the corners, until they eventually reached Navigations. It was a particularly small room, built in the shape of an odd sort of hexagon. Presumably, this was the front of the entire ship. Most of all, there was…

Oh no.

Ikusaba was first to turn around at the sound of the two entering, narrowing her eyes in suspicion at who could be walking into the room. Her guard slowly lowered, however, as she realized who it was. “Hello, Naegi. Togami.” She nodded her head in acknowledgement as she greeted them both. “May I ask what you’re doing here?”

“Who’s huh?” Enoshima asked, twirling around to see who was behind her. “Oh hi! If it isn’t the homosexual supporting cast!”

“Excuse me?” Togami questioned, looking mildly offended at the title. “Why did _you_ two have to be here? Your presence is an inconvenience to everyone.”

“You wound me!” Enoshima cried out, placing a hand on her chest. “How could you say such a horrible thing!?” Her act of sorrow was quickly replaced with a wink, as well as her sticking out her tongue in a teasing manner. 

“You didn’t answer my question,” Ikusaba spoke up, ignoring her sister’s dramatics. She didn’t say that too forcefully, but she still stated it in a stone-cold manner. “What are you doing here?”

“That’s none of your concern,” Togami replied, glaring at Ikusaba in particular. “We haven’t been here yet, so we figured we should look around,” Naegi answered for the both of them. However, it didn’t seem like Ikusaba nor Togami heard him, as the two were now engaging in a deadly staring contest. It looked like they were both examining each other closely, as if one would strike at the other at any moment. “Um, guys—“ Naegi attempted to break up the staring, but was quickly stopped by Enoshima, who pulled him into a side hug and said, “Don’t worry about them! Let them do their own thing!”

“But— But what if—“

“Naegi! I think we should be partners since Mukuro and Togami are busy!”

“Get away from him,” Togami and Ikusaba commanded at the same time, though their tones were different. Ikusaba’s was deadpan while Togami’s was… slightly defensive? Angry maybe? It was quite unexpected, so Naegi couldn’t decipher it right away. Enoshima simply rolled her eyes, and suddenly, she looked bored. “You guys are no fun,” she said, leaving Naegi’s side to join Ikusaba’s. “Whatever. I don’t care anymore.”

Naegi ignored the offhand comments about Enoshima’s boredom, choosing to stand on Togami’s side. He tugged on Togami’s arm, causing him to look away from Ikusaba and down at Naegi. “Togami?” he started, discreetly trying to move Togami to the exit. “We can go now if you want.”

Togami lessened his defensive stance towards Ikusaba, and his expression changed back to its usual neutrality. “Very well,” he said, turning his back to the two girls. “Goodbye.” With that, he walked out, with Naegi following closely behind. 

As soon as they were out of earshot and in the hallway, Togami groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. “The nerve of some people,” he mumbled, talking to himself. “I can’t believe the audacity.”

“Are you okay?” Naegi asked, concerned for if both Enoshima and Ikusaba’s behaviour was affecting him. The specific comment about the two of them being homosexual seemed to jostle Togami in a way Naegi had never previously seen. Then again, they had only known each other for a day tops, but a lot had still happened. “I’m fine,” Togami answered, though his words sounded forced. “O2 is nearby. We should go in there next.”

It was clear that Togami didn’t want to speak about what was on his mind, seeing as he changed the discussion topic. Naegi simply let him, replying, “Sure thing.”

O2 wasn’t particularly far from Navigations, only being a few steps away, so they entered quickly. Thankfully, no one was in there to bother them.

Looking around, it was just as the title implied; it was a place for oxygen to be generated to keep everyone on the ship alive. There were various tubes with ventilation on them, hooked to the floor to obtain the oxygen from the various plants encased under there. By the wall on their right, the tube opened, which was probably where the oxygen was released. Lastly, by the opening of the tube, there was a large green plant encased in glass. Perhaps it was there as a backup in case the other plants withered. “I don’t think there’s much to see here,” Naegi commented, furrowing his brows. “I think we should leave.”

“While there may be less to see than the other rooms, I still believe there is investigating to be done,” Togami replied. “For example, I have a theory. It’s not too important, but I would like to find out if it’s true or not.”

“What is it?”

“Do you not think it’s rather odd that there are various vents on the floor?” Togami asked. “There has to be a reason for them to be there. I hardly think their original purpose was to allow murderers to sneak about undetected.”

“I guess, but I think it would make sense that they’re just there for the oxygen to go through.”

“True. But there’s no way to know unless we search this room.”

“Togami, come on.” Naegi didn’t want to sound like he was whining, but that may very well be what he sounded like. “I know you want to be right all the time, but this isn’t that important.”

Togami looked back at him, conflicted on what he should do. Maybe he was internally debating whether to listen to Naegi or himself. He let out a begrudged breath before succumbing, saying, “Fine. But I’d like to come back to this room later on.”

“Do you really want to?” Togami simply glared at him and left O2, Naegi trailing behind. It was okay that he didn’t get an answer; that didn’t really bother him too much.

“Is there anywhere else that we need to go?” Naegi asked as they reached full circle and entered the Cafeteria once more. “I don’t believe there is,” Togami answered, putting his hands on his hips. “And there’s nothing left for us to do either. This is a glorious waste of my time.”

“It’s really not when you think about it,” Naegi countered, putting his hands behind his back. “We’ve been spending time together! I don’t think that’s a waste!”

This seemed to take Togami off his guard slightly. He looked surprised at what Naegi had said, and he was blushing slightly. He cleared his throat and averted Naegi’s gaze, muttering, “That’s true.” Naegi simply gave him a smile in return.

Suddenly, Togami’s eyes widened, presumably from getting an idea in his head. The look was gone as soon as it appeared. “I think I would like to check something,” Togami stated, turning away from Naegi and walking once more. “Wait— Where? Where are we going?” Naegi asked, quickly running to catch up with Togami. “If I remember correctly, there’s a device in Administration I’d like to examine.”

They were going… _there_ again? Naegi was still uneasy about entering the hallway to Administration, but if they were going to easily navigate the ship, he had to suck it up and overcome his anxiety over it. “Okay,” he said plainly, following Togami into the hallway and into Administration. 

Upon entering the room, Togami made a beeline to a machine on the table where the card reader was. The machine was directly across the card reader, in fact. “What is it?” Naegi questioned, standing beside Togami to examine the device.

On the screen was the map of the entire ship, with each room glowing green and each hallway being a lighter shade. There were yellow icons as well, each being a small space man. “Interesting,” Togami muttered to himself as he watched the yellow space men move from room to room. “This seems to be tracking our movements.”

“It is?” First there were the security cameras, and now there was whatever this thing was? That was awfully creepy. Counting the icons, there were a total of twelve moving. Until…

“Did you see that one disappear?” Naegi pointed to Electrical, where there were previously two icons. Now, there was only one, which… teleported to Security? “That’s rather concerning,” Togami said. “We should go look.”

“Yeah…”

In the pit of Naegi’s stomach, he could feel a ball of anxiety forming. He felt like they were about to walk in on something horrible, though he wasn’t entirely sure what that could be. He had a sinking feeling it would…

No. Everything is fine, it’s just a weird coincidence. Togami and Naegi sped out of Administration, their speed matching that of a speed walk, navigating through Storage and the hallway afterwards until reaching Electrical.

Once they entered, there was nothing particularly out of the ordinary. However, once passing the entrance and the cable box, the two could see it clearly; Kuwata was slumped over on the ground, next to the wire box, with a stab wound through his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello. Is this Pizza Hut? Hm. Perfect.  
> Umm can I get a large peppy rony? And um...  
> Hajime, what do you want?  
> A double sausage😳😳 Tch. HahA🥴🥴


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is so short. This is going too fast but I can’t be bothered to write anything  
> else to add on except for like. Minor edits  
> Anyway does anyone want my Makoto playlist on Spotify? You don’t? [Here it is anyway](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4K6Yh1gpsej0STq5oUj2Oh?si=wcDmhoceTHmLWXDccv7Xwg)  
> You can ignore the bio or whatever. That was just me having a kin moment

No, no, _no—_ This couldn’t be real. There was no way. This couldn’t be happening. Not again. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t—

“That’s rather unfortunate,” Togami said, staring down at the dead body before them. “I didn’t think another murder would occur so soon.”

“Wh— Why are you so calm?!” Naegi shouted, putting his hands through his hair as he too stared down at Kuwata’s body. “He’s— He’s dead!”

“And?” Togami pulled one of Naegi’s hands down from his head, holding it by the wrist, and began dragging him out of Electrical. “We need to report it.”

That was correct. They _did_ have to report it, but… Naegi was in so much shock, he could barely will his legs to move. This wasn’t fair— This shouldn’t be happening again. Another life was taken from them, as if it were nothing short of worthless. “Naegi, come on,” Togami said, tugging Naegi’s wrist as they continued walking back to the Cafeteria. “You can walk.”

“I—“ He was at a loss for words. Like last time, Togami was practically unaffected by the discovery of their friend’s dead body. It was unsettling when put into retrospect, but at the present moment, it calmed Naegi down a bit. However, just as Togami wanted, he let his legs move alongside him. 

When they reached the Cafeteria, they immediately went to the middle table, and Togami took the plastic casing off the button and pressed it. “Sit down,” he ordered, placing Naegi down in his usual seat. 

Each remaining student cycled into the Cafeteria with their partners. All except Fujisaki, who walked in alone. “What happened?” Kirigiri asked as she sat down in her place next to Celeste. “A body has been discovered,” Togami answered nonchalantly, crossing his arms.

The students gasped, though some didn’t seem as shocked as they were the first time around. “Who was it?” Oogami asked, bowing her head to presumably give a silent blessing to the fallen. Naegi took a deep breath before answering the question. “It was Kuwata.”

“Wh-What?” Fujisaki stuttered, startled at the news. “What do you mean K-Kuwata?”

“We found him in Electrical,” Togami explained. “Naegi and I were in Administration observing the device there. It tracks every person’s movements, though it doesn’t show faces.”

“I remember seeing that when I went there!” Ishimaru shouted, pointing at Togami. “It was a rather interesting machine!”

“Right,” Togami said, rolling his eyes. Ishimaru’s comments were unnecessary, but at least there was another person to back up their claim about the machine. “Anyhow, as we were watching, we noticed an icon disappear in Electrical, and another move directly into Security. We ran over to check it, and next thing we see, there’s Kuwata.”

“May I ask how he died?” Kirigiri questioned, her hand on her chin as she took in the information. “Presumably a stab wound,” Togami answered. Kirigiri nodded before adding, “It seems like there’s a pattern.”

“What pattern is there?” Asahina asked, tilting her head to the side. “Is it, like, how they died or something?”

“Exactly. When I checked Hagakure’s body, he too had a stab wound,” Kirigiri explained, now tapping her finger on her chin. “It seems that each imposter kills in the same way. A modus operandi of sorts.”

“Cool observation!” Enoshima complimented with a smile, resting her chin on her propped up hands. “Fujisaki seems awfully suspicious, don’t you think?”

“Wh— M-Me?” Fujisaki stuttered, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. “Why?”

“Kuwata was your partner, wasn’t he?” Enoshima continued, smiling sweetly at the smaller boy in a façade of pleasantry. “Why would he be killed if you were with him?”

“U-Um, but I wasn’t with him,” Fujisaki shyly countered, fidgeting with his hands. “I was in Communications the entire time, o-on the computer.”

“That’s true,” Naegi agreed, taking his head out of his hands and looked at the group. “Me and Togami saw him on the computer when he went there. He seemed hard at work, so we left him alone.”

“Ooh, it’s always _me and Togami_ and _me and Naegi_ with you two,” Enoshima said, giggling as she lightly placed her hand over her mouth. “There’s something suspicious about that!”

“Do not begin this conversation,” Togami commanded, glaring at Enoshima. “That is not the topic of discussion.”

“Nobody really cares anyway,” Yamada added. “...Right?”

“Boo, you’re all so boring.” Enoshima rolled her eyes, now looking slightly annoyed at the quick change of topic. “Why can’t we talk about something fun for once?”

“With all due respect, Enoshima, there is a dead man in Electrical,” Celeste replied. Her face was blank, but a hint of disapproval was shown in her eyes. “We do not have time for what you call ‘fun.’”

“Boo,” Enoshima repeated, waving one of her hands and rolling her eyes again. “Boring.”

“Junko, they’re right,” Ikusaba whispered, placing a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “We need to talk about the body.”

“Alright— Ignoring _them_ ,” Togami started, continuing to glare at the two girls. His eyes were drawn away as he continued. “Who was near Security before we called the meeting?”

“We were,” Kirigiri answered, gesturing to both herself and Celeste. “We were simply looking at the security cameras before moving on to finish our tasks.”

That seemed oddly familiar. “Did either of you leave for one reason or another?” Togami asked, raising an eyebrow. He must’ve caught it too. “No,” Kirigiri answered. “My eyes were on the cameras the entire time.”

“As were mine,” Celeste added, nodding her head with a smile. “There was not much that we saw, other than the others moving through the halls.” Togami simply hummed an acknowledgement, taking in the information given. 

Something wasn’t adding up; one of them had to be an imposter, the device wouldn’t lie like that. Naegi decided to keep this all in mind for the future. “You guys were at the Engines, right?” Naegi asked, looking towards Yamada and Ishimaru. Yamada answered with a simple “Yeah, why?” and Ishimaru shouted, “That is correct!”

“If it helps, me and Junko were in Navigations,” Ikusaba added quietly, putting her finger up to garner the group’s attention. “So we don’t have any suspicious people,” Naegi stated, looking down at his hands as he fiddled with them. “That’s kind of a problem.”

“I suggest we simply skip the voting process,” Celeste said, putting her own finger up to gain the group’s attention. “Considering we do not have enough evidence to convict a person, it would be our safest bet.”

“I don’t recall a skip option,” Oogami replied simply, raising an eyebrow. “Is there a possibility to do so?”

Suddenly, the tablets emerged once more, and Monokuma popped onto the screen. “I heard you guys want to skip!” he stated, giggling with his signature laugh. “Just for you, I’ll add the option!” He disappeared as soon as he came, revealing that there was a small skip button in the bottom left hand corner. “Why does he get to do whatever he wants?” Asahina said, though it was more of out loud curiosity rather than a serious inquiry. She, as well as everyone else, pressed the skip button, and each pixel icon popped up next to it. No message popped up, but the tablets retracted back into the table. “That takes care of that then,” Togami said, standing up. “I suggest we eject Kuwata’s dead body and continue on with our lives.”

“You’re going to be _that_ cold?” Asahina asked, getting up as well and glaring at Togami. “Show a little compassion! He’s dead!”

“Exactly. And I don’t want his corpse rotting in the middle of the ship.”

“I think we should eject him too!” Enoshima said, bouncing up from her place at the table. “It’s only right! Come on, Mukuro! Help me get him to the ejection room!”

“Okay, Junko,” Ikusaba responded, following Enoshima out of the Cafeteria. “My, she is awfully fond of these ejections,” Celeste commented, her face neutral as she spoke. “It is strange, is it not?”

“I noticed that as well,” Kirigiri agreed, crossing her arms. “It makes me wonder whether or not _she’s_ an imposter too.”

“Interesting theory, Ms. Kirigiri,” Yamada said, putting his hands on his hips as he gave the violet-haired girl a certain look that didn’t seem… right. It was sort of an unsettling look, and Naegi didn’t like it. Kirigiri seemed unfazed, however, as she simply added, “It’s just a deduction. It may turn out to be untrue.”

“Hey!” Enoshima called, coming from the direction of the ejection room. She waved her hand high to draw everyone’s attention as she continued with, “It’s ready!”

Soon enough, the rest of the group was filing into the ejection room, seeing Kuwata’s body on the floor behind the looking glass. “Poor Kuwata,” Fujisaki said, his hands clasped together as he looked down at his fallen partner. “I feel so bad for him.”

Various noises of agreement were given from everyone else. “It is such a tragedy,” Celeste said, looking down solemnly. “How many more will die before the imposters are found?”

“Who knows?” Naegi added, sighing afterwards. “There’s no telling when this’ll end.”

“Blah blah blah,” Enoshima interrupted, putting a hand on her hip. “You all talk too much. Ejection time!” Without another word, Enoshima pulled down the ejection lever, and Kuwata had disappeared. No message was displayed on the glass. 

That was odd, but then again, they already knew Kuwata wasn’t an imposter.

“I guess… We should go back and do our tasks now,” Asahina said after they stood in a moment of silence. The group wasn’t entirely sure what to do after this, but they would have to go about their lives either way. “I agree,” Oogami replied, nodding her head. “Let us go.”

The students all filed out of the room, presumably to finish the rest of their tasks. Naegi, however, remained for a few moments more, standing by the glass in silence. Togami stood with him, looking down at the dejected boy next to him. “Are you okay, Naegi?” Togami asked, shaking Naegi’s shoulder a couple times. Naegi crossed his arms and folded in on himself, saying, “It’s not fair. None of this is fair.”

“Naturally,” Togami replied, his hand remaining firm on the other boy’s shoulder. “Nothing is fair in a killing game. That’s how it is.”

“But why are we here in the first place?” Naegi looked up at Togami with tear-filled eyes, his breathing becoming slightly more shallow as the minute ticked by. “Nothing makes sense anymore! I— I just want to go home!” Togami let out a sigh, patting Naegi’s shoulder before dropping his hand back to his side. “Though I can’t speak for everyone else here, I’m sure you’re not the only one.”

“I just— What’s going to happen to the rest of us?! How many people are going to die before it’s over?! It’s not fair!”

Without a moment’s notice, Naegi had ended up flinging himself to Togami, wrapping his arms around the taller boy as his tears finally let loose. “I don’t know how much more I can take! I don’t want to do this anymore!”

Togami seemed to be surprised at this, letting out a gasp as Naegi hugged him. He wasn’t expecting him to do something so rash, something so fueled by the heat of the moment, but— His defensiveness slowly lowered, until he bent down and returned Naegi’s hug, the latter crying as he was held in the former’s embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the love of God. Would you stop comparing me to Raymond from Animal Crossing?  
> No, I will not put cat ears on, or a maid dress.  
> I am no cat boy maid, I am Byakuya Togami
> 
> Anyway the whole breakdown thing shouldn’t be happening this early but I’m not gonna bother to move it somewhere else. It’s like 12:30am I’m tired


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why was I unsupervised in the month of November  
> This is an excuse for me to bust out my french knowledge  
> Also short chapter again I’m sorry. It’s like 4am rn

It felt like forever until the two boys separated, and until Naegi’s sobs quieted down.

Naegi couldn’t let the killing get to him, not now. He, as well as everyone else on the ship, had lost so many people in so little time. It was almost unreal, like this was some sort of nightmare that he could wake up from at any second. But a nightmare wouldn’t be this vivid. It wouldn’t remain so long. It would’ve been over already.

This was reality. That type of wishful thinking wouldn’t get him anywhere.

“Are you feeling better now, Naegi?” Togami asked as he looked down in concern at Naegi. Naegi sniffled, remnants of his crying still present as he answered, “Yeah. Yeah, I think so.”

“Very well. Would you prefer to walk around some more, or would you like to sit down for a bit?”

Naegi didn’t want to walk around anymore. Every time they did, they ended up finding another one of their friends, with all life sucked out of their bodies, leaving nothing more than an empty shell. “I think… I’d like to sit down.” Togami hummed in acknowledgement, and guided them both from the ejection room back to the Cafeteria.

Upon arriving back at the Cafeteria, they sat down at the table they occupied previously. This time, however, instead of sitting with his head propped up on both arms, Naegi’s head was propped up on one hand as he looked down at the table dolefully. He wasn’t sure whether to spark up a conversation or just simply sit in silence, but even if he were to choose the former option, he wouldn’t know what to say.

Togami, on the other hand, sat with his arms crossed, seemingly deep in thought. Naegi didn’t bother to pay much attention, his mind swarming with his own thoughts.

This game— Why was it happening? And how did they get here? Why would the imposters even bother murdering their friends? Just because their tasks told them to? There were so many questions, yet so little information to help them be answered. Nothing made sense anymore. The most important question, how did they get on the ship in the first place, hardly had any way to be answered as well. And it didn’t seem like anyone had any information to help with that either.

His thoughts were interrupted as he noticed Togami’s eyes on him, the male seemingly determined about something. Naegi was about to ask what was wrong, but before he could, Togami looked away and said, “Would you like to continue asking questions?”

That was... surprising. During their first round of questioning, Togami looked uninterested— if not _annoyed—_ at the discussion in general. It did make Naegi feel better, however, to see that that wasn’t the case. “Oh— Sure!” He picked his head up from where it sat in his hand, placing said hand in his lap with his other one. He needed something to take his mind off the murders, and this would serve as the perfect distraction. “Do you want to go or should I?”

“You may start if you like,” Togami answered, looking everywhere _but_ at Naegi. “It does not matter either way.”

“Okay.” Naegi wracked his brain for any questions he could think of. He really needed to prepare for these sorts of things. “Do you have a favourite animal or something?” It was a rather basic question, but any question at this point would be good. “Indeed,” Togami started, nodding his head. “My preference is towards cats. In fact, I have a pet cat at home.”

“You do? That’s so cool!” Naegi exclaimed, his spirits rising as the conversation went on. “I’ve always wanted a cat!”

“She’s rather spoiled,” Togami continued on, not bothering to respond to Naegi’s comment. “Though, I would only want the absolute best for anyone, whether it be a person, animal, or otherwise, in my care.”

“What’s her name?” Naegi asked, now imagining what the cat could be like. He could see Togami sitting in some sort of luxurious room with a cat in his lap, who looked just as sophisticated as _he_ was. It was sort of silly, thinking of a sophisticated cat, but one could never know unless meeting it in person. “Her name is Amelie. She’s a ragdoll, in case you wanted to know.”

“Is that a french name?” The image in his head changed as he learned the breed of the cat. He could now see a fluffy white cat with hints of brown around its fur sitting in Togami’s lap as the male elegantly stroked its fur. It’s eyes were as blue as its owners, and the cat seemed content with where it was. “I’m surprised you caught that,” Togami replied, raising an eyebrow. “It is, indeed, a french name.”

“Is there a particular reason? Not trying to be rude, I’m just curious.”

“It’s a rather simple reason. I’m french on my mother’s side, and to call back to her, I decided to name her something french.”

“That’s so cool! I’ve never met a french person before!” It may be a rather dumb comment, but it was true. He had only met a handful of foreign people in his life, but to be friends with one? That was amazing. “Do you know any french?” Naegi asked, now staring at Togami with amazement. Togami’s life was so much more interesting compared to his. “Yes,” Togami answered simply. However, he continued with, “I actually know a multitude of languages, as is required of every Togami offspring.”

“Wow!” There was truly a lot to learn about Togami. It seemed like there was so much he could do. “What do you know?”

“To list off a few, I’m fluent in English, French, and Mandarin.” 

“That’s so many! Can you say something in one?” If he were being honest, he _really_ wanted to see Togami speak french. He didn’t know why, but… It just seemed like something he’d want to hear. “Maybe in french if you can?”

“Perhaps.” Togami took a moment to think of a phrase to say. He chuckled to himself, averted his eyes away from Naegi, and said with a small smile, “Tu as un joli visage.” Naegi’s eyes lit up in wonder as Togami spoke. “C’est très agréable de voir.”

“What did you say?” Naegi questioned, tilting his head. He wasn’t familiar with any foreign language in the slightest, so he was very interested to know what the sentence meant. “Oh, you know,“ Togami started, waving his hand as he thought up an answer. Maybe it was something he shouldn’t say out loud? Who knows. “That… some people are very pretty.” Was he… blushing? Upon closer inspection, it seemed like Togami’s cheeks were tinted red. But that couldn’t be the case, Naegi was just making things up in his head. “Oh! That’s awesome!” he commented, not bringing up his observation. “I don’t know any languages other than Japanese, so it’s amazing to see what you can say!”

“If you’d like, I can teach you once we’re off this ship,” Togami offered, smiling a bit to himself. Naegi didn’t know why he was smiling, but he couldn’t help but smile back. “It’s a deal!” Naegi agreed, his smile growing wider. “Could you teach me something right now? I think that would be cool!”

“If you insist. What would you like to know?”

“Hm…” Naegi tapped his chin and stuck out his tongue as he thought of something to say. His face lit up as he realized the perfect phrase, and he snickered to himself as he said, “How about, ‘You know I can understand what you’re saying, right?’ I think that would be funny.”

Togami’s eyebrow arched as he looked at the smaller boy skeptically. “Are you sure? That’s a rather complicated sentence for a beginner.” Naegi shrugged and said, “If you think it’s too long for now, I’d be happy to learn something else!” Togami simply nodded his head, now thinking of something else to say. He nodded his head again as he determined which one he should teach. “You are aware that french is known as the language of love, yes?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“An easy phrase for you to start off with would be ‘Je t’aime,’ which means ‘I love you.’ It’s frequently used by foreigners to seem more romantic to their partners.”

“Oh! That’s a great idea! Can you say it again so I can make sure to pronounce it right?” Togami repeated the two words, and Naegi attempted to say it back. “So it’s like… Je t’aime.”

“You’re on the right track,” Togami said, looking impressed on how quickly Naegi could pick up on the words. “Though, the ‘je’ is pronounced less as if you were saying something like ‘jester’ and more as if you were saying ‘treasure.’ It would sound like the ‘s’ in the middle. Understand?”

“I think so. Let me try again.” With Togami’s instructions, he said the two words once more. It looked like he did it right, as Togami’s cheeks reddened slightly more as he spoke. “You did it correctly,” Togami praised, averting Naegi’s gaze once again. “You’re a quick learner.”

“Thank you! I tried my best!” The compliment was very much welcomed, especially if it were coming from Togami. He wasn’t sure why, but hearing Togami’s approval made Naegi’s stomach do several flips in a row. It was like butterflies had invaded his insides, and his heart beat harder in his chest the more he thought about it. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. “What if you were to tell someone you like them?”

Togami seemed surprised at the question for a reason unbeknownst to Naegi. Togami closed his eyes for a brief moment before looking back down at Naegi. “Of course. It’s quite different from ‘I love you,’ believe it or not, but it gets the point across. It’s pronounced, _je vous aime bien._ ”

Naegi repeated back what Togami had just said. He got the same reaction as before, when he correctly said _je t’aime,_ with the taller male becoming slightly flustered and darting his eyes away. “You’re very good at this,” he said, attempting to gain his composure once more. “It’s hard to believe you don’t know the language already.”

“Am I doing _that_ well?” Naegi asked, blushing too. He didn’t think he was doing as good as Togami made him out to be, but as long as he was impressing him… “You’re a natural if I’m being honest,” Togami continued, smiling a bit to himself. “Perhaps once we’re off this ship, you’ll be able to pick it up just as fast as I did.”

“You think so?”

“I’m positive.”

The two looked at each other for a bit, sitting in a comfortable silence. Naegi’s head was swimming with thoughts of Togami. He came off as the textbook definition of a pompous prick when he first met him, but talking to him and getting to know him had quickly changed that view. Practically everything about him was perfect: his looks, his personality, his…

And then it hit him.

Naegi had just about fallen for Togami Byakuya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our friendship goes beyond. Your average kind of bond.  
> ...  
> Because we’re gay  
> No not because we’re gay???  
> We’re close  
> .  
> ..  
> ...  
> No—


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m tired  
> I want to give a public apology to the people who subbed to me for the Animal Crossing fic and witnessed me bashing it. I didn’t realize y’all were here I’m sorr y

“Naegi? Naegi, are you okay?” Togami snapped his fingers in front of Naegi’s face to try and get his attention. “You look like you’re dozing off.” 

“Oh! Sorry!” Naegi sat up straight, picking his head up from where it sat on his propped up arm. “I was just thinking about stuff.”

“...Stuff?”

“Yeah! Uh— It’s not too important,” Naegi attempted to dismiss the conversation with a wave of his hand and a nervous chuckle. “Are you sure?” Togami didn’t look convinced at that claim. “You appeared to be deep in thought.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” Naegi continued to try and steer the conversation away from his thoughts. He didn’t really want to speak about his epiphany at the moment, _especially_ with the person the aforementioned epiphany was about. “It’s dumb. Don’t worry about it.”

“Very well, then.” Togami, thankfully, let go of the conversation. However, they didn’t get a chance to start a different one, as they heard a loud, high pitched scream come from a different room. “What was that?” Naegi asked, the warmth in his chest quickly dwindling at the sound. “Is someone in trouble?”

“I don’t know,” Togami answered, quickly standing up from his spot at the table and turning towards the source of the scream. “But we should go check it out, just in case.”

“Alright.” Naegi got up too, following the direction Togami was leading them. The scream had come from the direction of Weapons, but looking down the hallway, nobody was _in_ Weapons. It had to be farther down.

Just as they had reached the end of the Cafeteria, the pair ran into Celeste, alone, who had been hurrying along to wherever she was going, with a frightened expression on her face. “What’s wrong, Celeste?” Naegi asked, his eyebrows furrowing in concern as he looked at the girl before him. “It is such a terrible sight,” Celeste said, putting a hand over her heart. She seemed upset. “I was going around, looking for my next task, when all of a sudden I saw Yamada on the floor in Navigations.”

“Are you implying that he’s dead?” Togami asked, raising an eyebrow. “Indeed,” Celeste said, her eyes glassing. “I am so shocked. I was just about to press the emergency button to report of the murder.”

“We’ll come with you,” Naegi offered, even though he and Togami had just been in the Cafeteria. “It would be bad if you got killed too.”

“Thank you,” Celeste said, moving to make her way to the emergency meeting button. “This is a tragedy. I am horrified.” She pulled the plastic off of the button and delicately placed her hand over it, gently pressing it with a small _click_ once lowered enough. _Emergency! Please report to the Cafeteria!_

Just like always, the remaining students filed in, taking their seats at the meeting table around the button. “Whoever pressed the button, tell us what happened!” Ishimaru spoke first, pointing his finger in the air as he demanded answers. “T’was me who pressed the button,” Celeste started, clutching her hands and placing them on her heart. “It is terrible— Yamada is dead.”

Less surprised gasps were given than before. It was sort of unnerving— their group was quickly lowering in numbers, and because of that, they were slowly getting used to the discovery of another body. “He was in Navigations, laying on the floor with a stab wound. It was such a horrid sight, I couldn’t help but scream.”

There was something… odd about this, Naegi noticed. Celeste was alone, _and_ the one to find the body? That didn’t seem right to him. Where was Kirigiri during it? And why was she by herself? “You notice it too,” Togami muttered under his breath, looking down at Naegi through the corner of his eye. The look was gone as soon as Naegi noticed it, and the blond was focused on the group discussion again. “Ooh, Celeste, why were you alone?”

Enoshima noticed these inconsistencies as well. It wasn’t unsurprising, but at the same time, it was annoying for everyone who wanted to _solve_ the murder case. “That’s pretty suspicious, huh? What were you doing?” 

It was like she took the words right out of Naegi’s mouth. “Just as I told Togami and Naegi before I called the meeting, I was looking for where to do my tasks,” Celeste said, looking down solemnly. “I had a feeling one was in Navigations, and next thing I knew, there was Yamada. So sad, is it not?”

“Yes, it is,” Togami said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “But that doesn’t answer the question of why you were alone. Would either of you—“ he darted his eyes between both Kirigiri to Celeste. “—like to explain that?”

“Simply put, I had data to download,” Kirigiri stated, her voice in its signature monotone. “As I’m sure both of you, if not _all_ of you know, it’s a rather tedious task. Celeste offered to go off and do her tasks elsewhere while I waited for mine to finish.”

“That is true,” Celeste agreed, nodding her head. “Before I was able to start any, however, I had found Yamada.”

That was well established by now, at least in Naegi’s opinion. But still. “Don’t you remember what happened last time someone went off by themselves?” Asahina asked, shaking her head. “They ended up being dead! The same could’ve happened to you!”

“I am aware. However, I made sure to be cautious of my surroundings so I would not be taken off guard.”

Naegi wanted to butt in and tell the group of his suspicions, but he didn’t think there was enough evidence to prove his thinking was correct. He should let the discussion play out a little more. “If I may ask, which task were you attempting to do?” Oogami inquired, no sign of suspicion written on her face. It was a rather good question; while Naegi himself never had a task in Navigations, he knew someone who did. “It was quite simple, really,” Celeste began, clutching her hands once more. “I was to steer the ship around.”

“Hold on a second,” Naegi blurted out, grabbing the attention of his crew mates. “I don’t think that’s a real task.”

“Oh? And how would you know?” Celeste countered, staring down at him with an unreadable expression on her face. “Do tell us, Naegi.”

“Well, I don’t have any tasks in Navigation myself, but there’s someone else who does. Right, Enoshima?”

“Are we passing the conversation onto me now?” Enoshima teased, a mischievous smile on her face. “How nice of you!”

“Don’t play games, Enoshima,” Kirigiri said, giving the girl a look of disapproval. “What tasks are there in Navigations?”

“Oh boo,” Enoshima whined with a high pitched voice, sticking out her tongue as she propped her arm onto the table and rested her head in her hand. “You never let anyone have fun, Kirigiri.”

“This isn’t supposed to be fun. Someone is dead, and we need to find out who killed him.”

“Alright, alright.” Enoshima’s cutesy act was quickly over, and she looked extremely bored. Her tone of voice matched her expression, as she solemnly stated, “You can chart the course, upload data, divert power, and stabilize the steering. That’s it.”

“Thank you.” Kirigiri turned to Celeste and said, “Would you like to explain why you told us a fake task?”

“I did not do that,” Celeste answered, her poker face now displayed. “It was simply a slip of the tongue. I was off to stabilize the steering.”

“No, that’s wrong,” Naegi interjected, ready to share his argument. “It wouldn’t make sense for you to forget what your own task was. Even if it was a slip up, you would’ve corrected yourself as soon as you said it.”

“Perhaps I didn’t notice it at the time. I am just as shocked as the rest of you, if not more. Please refrain from spouting such idiotic nonsense again.”

“You can’t deny he has a point,” Togami stated, pushing his glasses up farther on his face. “It’s a rather odd mistake to make. You should have known what your own task was before answering.”

Celeste shook her head, though her expression hardly changed. “Of course you would agree,” she said, staring straight at Togami. “You would believe anything he says.”

“Don’t make this about _us_ ,” Naegi said, crossing his arms. “We’re talking about _you_.” Celeste’s eyes closed, but she didn’t seem to be thinking. Naegi couldn’t tell what she was doing in general, actually. “This is rather tragic,” Celeste said again. At this point, she sounded like a broken record.

Naegi blocked out the conversation as it progressed, thinking through the events that could link to their possible suspect. Going off on the idea that Yamada and Kuwata share a killer, there were various things that pointed to Celeste being the most suspicious.

First things first, in Kuwata’s case, she had been in security with Kirigiri. Kuwata was found in Electrical, where a vent that led straight to Security was. She could have easily gone through the vents to kill Kuwata and make a subsequent return to her partner.

Second, there was the fact that she had wandered off alone, despite knowing how dangerous that could be. There were several risks that were posed when travelling alone, that including the chance an imposter could sneak up behind you and kill you. Yet Celeste wasn’t afraid of that?

There was also the fact that she discovered the body, still alone. Could it have been a self report? It seemed likely that she would do such a thing to seem innocent. She _was_ the Ultimate Gambler, after all. This type of risk seemed right up her alley.

Lastly, there was her slip up during the conversation. Just as Togami had said, Celeste shouldn’t have made a mistake regarding the contents of her task. It seemed like a lie, just like her entire alibi had been building up to be. Now that he put the events in order, it seemed clear that Celeste was the culprit they were looking for. “I see now,” Naegi said to himself, though the rest of the group had heard him. “See what?” Kirigiri asked, furrowing her brows at him.

Without missing a beat, Naegi began explaining the pieces he had just put together to paint a rather unfortunate picture. He explained the idea with Kuwata, the wandering around, the body discovery, and everything else. He hoped it made sense to everyone else; the pieces fit together in his mind once connected, which could be pretty damning evidence to convict Celeste. 

Once he was done, the suspect in question was the first to speak up. “You give a very convincing argument,” she said, her intense red eyes boring down into Naegi’s soul. “But you do not have proof of this. It is simply speculation.”

“No, that’s wrong,” Naegi countered, trying to give off an equally profound stare. He probably wasn’t succeeding, but it didn’t hurt to try. “There are various things to prove that you did it! I just gave you all my reasoning!”

“But there are no witnesses, are there? It was a brave attempt, but you cannot blame it on me.”

“I’m a witness!” Enoshima shouted, crossing her arms. “I can tell you what happened!”

“You are not a witness,” Celeste retorted, her— as well as everyone else’s— attention drawn to the blonde. “I did not see you during the duration of these events.”

“Well yeah, I was spying on you.” Enoshima waved her hand and rolled her eyes as she said the statement. “I, like, totally saw you kill Yamada. So did Mukuro.”

Ikusaba took a moment to respond. The girl looked confused, but after a few seconds, she affirmed, “That’s true. We saw her kill Yamada.”

“And you didn’t bother to tell us earlier?” Togami questioned, raising an eyebrow. “How long were you going to withhold that information from us?”

“I dunno. I’m bored now, so I’ll tell you whatever.”

“This is absurd,” Celeste said, narrowing her eyes at Enoshima in particular. “I would have surely seen you if you were around when I found Yamada.”

“No you wouldn’t. You were too busy screaming and running to notice us. You’re so boring.”

“Is there any way to confirm this?!” Ishimaru shouted, standing up and putting his hands on his hips. “I believe at least one of you can prove this!”

Various no’s were given from the students. “Say no all you want,” Enoshima said, quickly becoming bored with the conversation. That much was shown by her dull expression. “We know what we saw. Just admit you lost already.”

“Lost…?” That statement looked as if it didn’t sit well with Celeste. Her voice wavered, anger subtly laced in her words. “I do not lose. And I have _not_ lost yet.”

“With all due respect, Celeste, you’re in a tough corner,” Oogami stated. “If you don’t have anything to contradict what Naegi said, we have no choice but to believe him.”

“I agree,” Fujisaki concurred, looking to the side in thought. “You’ve been pretty suspicious during the discussion. And with the last discussion too.”

“That’s true!” Asahina added, her face brightening as she found an opportunity to contribute. “ _And_ she was the one to suggest skipping during Kuwata’s discussion!”

“I almost forgot about that,” Naegi said, nodding his head. “Why would you ask to skip if _you_ weren’t the culprit, Celeste?”

“It is simple,” Celeste replied, any hint of anger— or any emotion, really— completely wiped away. “There was nothing to point to who the imposter may be, so I suggested skipping to avoid ejecting an innocent person.”

“But there was evidence against you in the last discussion,” Naegi opposed. “You were in Security with Kirigiri during the incident. There’s a vent that goes from Security to Electrical, and you could’ve easily vented when Kirigiri was focused on the cameras.”

“To be honest, it is possible for me to have completely missed the sound of Celeste going through the vents,” Kirigiri said, looking somewhat deep in thought. “My attention was focused solely on the cameras before the murder occured.”

“Kirigiri, you cannot be serious,” Celeste replied, looking to her partner. She seemed frustrated again. “You know I was in the room with you before Kuwata was found.”

“I thought I did.” Kirigiri closed her eyes and took a breath. “But I believe that they’re correct.”

“If you guys don’t mind, I think we should go over this case one more time, just to clear everything up,” Naegi said, closing his eyes as well. A chorus of agreement was given by the group. “Here’s exactly what happened.”

_In the first murder, Kuwata was left alone to attend to the wires while Fujisaki worked on his programme in Communications. The killer, however, was in Security with Kirigiri, with Kirigiri closely watching the cameras for the duration of their stay. This gave the killer the perfect opportunity to sneak through the vents, stab Kuwata, and act as if nothing had happened._

_Since Togami and I were in Administration watching the map, we could see Kuwata disappear the second he was murdered, as well as the killer moving directly from Electrical to Security. We found his body right after, in the same place we saw the icon disappear._

_When the discussion for Kuwata’s murder happened, there was only our witness statements to go off of as evidence. If this was discussed more, the killer surely would have been caught. That’s why they suggested to skip the discussion entirely, to avoid being found out._

_Once everyone had skipped and gone back to their own tasks, the killer got cocky. They had gotten away with their first murder, and thought they could get away with a second._

_When Kirigiri had to download data, a task notorious for taking a long time, the killer saw another chance to act. They told Kirigiri that they wanted to do their tasks while she waited, and she agreed to this. And so, the killer made their way around the ship to find their next victim._

_They’d caught Yamada alone in Navigations, with no other people in sight. In this case, they managed to sneak up on him and stab him, killing him as well. To cover this up, the killer let out a scream, and ran out of Navigations to report the body. What they didn’t know was that Enoshima and Ikusaba had seen the whole thing, which could solidify the events that had taken place._

“Isn’t that right, Celestia Ludenberg!?”

“Why you—“ Celeste grumbled, her teeth clenching as she stared down Naegi. “That’s just a load of shit! Who the hell do you think you are?!”

As Celeste let out her outburst, her heavy french accent had seemingly disappeared, and her attitude completely changed. “I killed those two idiots?! Are you serious?! Those are all lies!”

The group, minus Enoshima and Ikusaba for whatever reason, were taken aback by Celeste’s sudden change in demeanour. They had never seen the girl act in such a way before, and didn’t know how to respond. Celeste noticed her own shift of disposition, voice, and speech in general, and pressed her hand gently to her mouth. “Excusez-moi,” she said, feigning innocence as her accent returned. “I do not know what came over me.”

“Yeah, you do,” Enoshima muttered, tapping her fingers on the table with her free hand. “You’re mad you got caught.”

“I have not been caught,” Celeste replied, her hands placed in her lap once more. “Rather, I have been caught in a web of lies that I must simply escape.”

“Nah.” Enoshima continued to idly tap her fingers on the table, the sound slowly but surely angering Celeste even further. “Y’know Celestia isn’t even her real name? Her real name’s Taeko.”

“What?!” The temper was back. Celeste looked even angrier than before. “Why would you say that?! That’s a lie! Taeko is a loser name, and I am _not_ a goddamn loser!”

“That sucks. Because you just lost the trial.” Suddenly, the tablets rose from the table once more. Monokuma did not say anything this time around. Enoshima immediately cast her vote when the screen turned on.

Slowly but surely, everyone followed suit, and they put in their votes as well, until Celeste was the only person left. “This is ridiculous,” she said through gritted teeth, glaring daggers at every person who laid eyes on her. “You’re all full of shit.”

“I suggest you vote and get it over with,” Kirigiri said. She wasn’t facing Celeste, but rather, facing the opposite direction. “You’ll lose regardless of what you do.”

“Kirigiri, not even _you_ believe me?! But we’re partners!”

“Precisely. However, that fact does not change what you did.”

“Kiri—“

“Vote.”

Celeste groaned and rolled her eyes, casting her own vote with a scowl. Each icon popped onto the screen, displaying who voted for who. All votes were in favour of Celeste, except Celeste’s own, which was put on skip. _Yasuhiro Taeko has been found guilty!_ The screen read, confirming what Enoshima had claimed. “So it’s true,” Naegi said, looking down at the tablet in front of him. “Is the rest of your life a lie too, Celeste?”

Celeste simply sighed and shook her head, disappointment shown on her pale features. “Not all of it,” she replied, not meeting Naegi’s gaze when it fell on her. “Yasuhiro is fine, if you prefer it.”

“It seems as if this is your first defeat,” Togami commented, looking down at Celeste. “And it looks to be your last.”

“You don’t have to rub it in,” Celeste grumbled, standing up and leaving her seat at the table. She began making her way to the ejection room, not looking behind her. “Let’s just get this over with already.”

“Oh yeah!” Enoshima exclaimed, her previously uninterested demeanour swapping to excitement in an instant. “Punishment time!” She quickly followed Celeste down the corridor to the ejection room, a smile on her face. Ikusaba followed as well, presumably so her sister wouldn’t be alone. Slowly, the rest of the students followed suit, not willing to delay the inevitable further. 

As the rest of the crew mates filed into the room, they could see that Celeste, along with Yamada’s body, were already behind the glass, and Enoshima was standing by the lever. “It’s a shame things turned out this way,” Celeste began, crossing her arms and looking towards the group in sadness. “I was hoping I could live a little longer.”

“You probably could’ve if you didn’t kill anyone,” Kirigiri replied, a hint of sorrow in her own eyes. “Perhaps you should’ve thought of that before committing murder.”

“In all fairness, the imposters one task is to commit murder,” Asahina commented, clutching her hands as she and the others watched Celeste through the glass. “She didn’t really have any other choice.”

“There was still the option not to go through with it. She chose to commit the act in the first place.”

“Kirigiri, dear, that doesn’t matter now. What’s done is done. It just sucks that I lost.” Celeste smiled at the group, and added what sounded like a lighthearted comment. “I think if I were to come back, I’d like to be Marie-Antoinette.”

“You’d just end up being executed again,” Togami said, looking at the girl with a grimace. “True, but I would live a much more lavish life.” Celeste let out a sad giggle, and turned away from the group. “Goodbye, everyone,” she said, her head bowing down. “Take care of yourselves. Perhaps we’ll meet again in another life.”

With that, Enoshima pulled down the lever without saying a word, and Celeste was gone.

**Yasuhiro Taeko was an imposter. 1 imposter remaining.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our friendship goes beyond. Your average kind of bond  
> ....  
> Because we’re gay  
> No, not because we’re gay???  
> We’re close.  
> ..  
> No—


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen. Before someone comes at me, yes beatific is a word. No I didn’t remember that while reading through this chapter, but I promise you it’s real

Seeing Celeste go was rather hard. After all, she was another friend ruthlessly sacrificed to this killing game they were unwillingly put in. After a moment of silence, all for Kuwata, Yamada, and Celeste, the group began to disperse once more to finish their tasks. 

The only one who didn’t leave with the rest of the students was Kirigiri, who stood by the glass with a conflicted look on her face. “Are you okay, Kirigiri?” Naegi asked, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. Kirigiri looked at him, any hint of emotion leaving her face. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” She stepped away from the glass, and gently moved Naegi’s hand off of her shoulder. “I should be getting back to my task now. You know how long it is.”

“Yeah— Right,” Naegi said. “But, uh, if you ever want to talk, we’re here for you.”

“We?” Togami asked, arching an eyebrow. “Bold of you to group me in with that statement.”

“I’ll be fine,” Kirigiri said, ignoring whatever argument could ensue from Naegi’s statement. “Don’t worry about it.” With that, she turned on her heel and walked away, off to finish her download task. Naegi turned to Togami and gave him a disapproving look. “You should be nicer,” he said, putting his hands on his hips. “You’ll make friends easier if you are.”

“I don’t need friends. Especially not in this environment,” Togami said, the conversation disinteresting him. “You’ve seen it time and time again. Friendship means nothing here. Maizono is a prime example of this, seeing as you considered her a friend when she was the first to kill someone.”

Naegi took offense to the comment, his mouth agape in the pure shock it caused. “Maizono was cornered! She didn’t have any other choice!”

“Yet she still chose to kill someone.”

“But—“

“This conversation is over.” Togami turned away from the ejection door and began walking away. “If you would be so kind, I’d like to go back to the Cafeteria now.”

“Why should I?” Naegi narrowed his eyes, a silent challenge being summoned. “You don’t want friends, so why should I listen?” Togami groaned and rolled his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “You’re the exception,” he stated, crossing his arms. “You’re allowed a pass in regards to friendship.”

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” Naegi asked, his scowl deepening. “What makes me different from everyone else? That I’m your partner?”

“No, it’s…” Togami trailed off, his own scowl forming. “Rather complicated. I wouldn’t care to discuss it right now.”

“I think I have a right to know!” Naegi walked up to Togami, an accusatory finger pointed at the taller male. “There’s a reason you treat me with common decency but not everyone else!”

“Like I said, I would not care to discuss the reason,” Togami said, glaring at Naegi. “Now, if you would like to join me, I’ll be in the Cafeteria.” Togami turned away, and began briskly walking out of the ejection room. “You’re such a jerk!” Naegi shouted, watching as Togami left him alone.

Naegi watched as Togami went down the hall, until he had entered the Cafeteria. From that distance, the former could barely make out the finer details of the latter. 

Whatever. If Togami didn’t need him, he didn’t need Togami. The only problem now was where he was going to go.

He let out a frustrated sigh and thought about his options. Kirigiri, Fujisaki, and Ishimaru were all left without partners. After the death of Celeste, Kirigiri seemed as if she didn’t want to talk to anyone and wanted to be left alone. Ishimaru was… Well, Ishimaru, who would no doubt talk in Naegi’s ear the entire time _or_ berate him for leaving his partner alone. And finally, Fujisaki was working on his computer programme in Communications. 

Maybe that could be who he hung out with for the time being.

Naegi left the ejection room, now making his way to Communications. However, he stopped right as he entered the hall, coming face to face with Enoshima and Ikusaba, the former with a knowing look on her face. “Hey, Naegi,” she greeted, a sly smirk quirked on her lips. “You guys having a lovers quarrel?”

“Don’t call it that,” Naegi muttered, pushing past the two girls. “We’re not even dating.”

“Aw, but you should see you two! You’re so—“

“Stop it,” Ikusaba spoke up, glaring daggers at Enoshima. “You heard what they were fighting about. Don’t make it worse.”

“Mukuro,” Enoshima whined, grabbing Ikusaba’s arm and holding it tightly. “Why do you have to be such a killjoy? You don’t want your little sister to have fun?”

“Leave me alone,” Naegi grumbled, now walking down the hall to escape the girls. More specifically, he wanted to escape the constant teasing of Enoshima. “You’re no fun either!” Enoshima called out, her whiny tone still evident. Naegi simply ignored it and continued walking, continuing his walk to Communications.

The trip to Communications wasn’t too horrible, as he deviated from the path to the Cafeteria and turned south at Shields. There, he made his way through the hallway to storage until reaching the entrance to his destination about halfway through. And there he saw Fujisaki, with a headset on and clicking away at the keyboard in front of him.

Naegi took a deep breath and sighed, not wanting to look angry as he approached Fujisaki. He released the tension in his shoulders and his face, and unclenched his jaw and fists. When he felt like he was ready, he walked up to Fujisaki and tapped the smaller boy's shoulder. 

Fujisaki was surprised at the sudden interruption, jumping at the touch, but his shock quickly subsided as he turned and saw who it was. He took off his headphones and said, “Hello, Naegi! Do you need me for something?”

“Not really,” Naegi replied, shrugging his shoulders. “I was just hoping I could hang out with you for a bit.”

“Oh— Yeah, of course! You can grab one of those chairs—“ Fujisaki pointed to a couple office chairs similar to his own that were seated in front of the other computers. “—And watch me work!” 

Naegi did as Fujisaki suggested, bringing a chair over to the latter’s computer and sitting down. Fujisaki looked past Naegi for a moment, confusion slowly etching onto his features. “Where’s Togami?” he asked, his eyes landing on Naegi. Naegi’s expression soured, and he looked away from the small boy next to him. “We had a fight.”

“Oh no! I’m sorry!” Fujisaki said, a hand making its way up to his mouth. “What happened? You don’t have to tell me, but…”

“He’s just a jerk.” Naegi crossed his arms, averting Fujisaki’s gaze. “He said that nobody here is friends with anybody and that we’ll all end up stabbing each other in the back. That’s such a rude thing to say!”

“It is,” Fujisaki agreed, meekly nodding his head. “But… To be fair, he has a good reason to think that. A lot of people have, um… ended up dying, and stuff.”

“Yeah, but they don’t have a choice! It’s their only task!”

“I— Yeah, but—“ Fujisaki stuttered, unsure of how to reply. It seemed like he was conflicted on his stance in the argument. “Would you like to take your mind off of it?” he asked, attempting to divert the conversation. “You can see the programme I’ve been working on, if you want.” Naegi didn’t comment on the obvious change of topic, but rather, he nodded his head and said, “Sure.”

“His name is Alter Ego,” Fujisaki explained, pressing a couple keys on the keyboard. “He’s an artificial intelligence programme that can think just like a human, and he can process any mental task that a person can. Do you want to talk to him?” 

An avatar popped up on the screen, taking the form of Fujisaki. Or, rather, just his head. There was also a text box under the character, waiting for someone to type something in. Fujisaki scooted his chair away from the keyboard, and eagerly awaited for Naegi to interact with it.

Naegi took the previous place of Fujisaki in front of the computer, and thought about what he should say to the programme. “Um, right now I have the headset connected to the computer,” Fujisaki pointed out, also pointing to the headset’s wire that connected to the monitor. “So, if you want to hear him, you’ll have to put them on.”

“Alright,” Naegi mumbled, taking the headphones and sliding them on his head. After doing that, he looked down at the keyboard, and typed in a simple _hello_. The avatar— or rather, Alter Ego as he should call it— perked up at the message, smiling brightly. “Hello, there!” it greeted. Not only did it look like Fujisaki, it _sounded_ like Fujisaki. “My name is Alter Ego! Nice to meet you! What’s your name?”

 _I’m Naegi Makoto,_ Naegi typed, watching how the avatar reacted once he sent the message. It looked surprised at the sentence and said, “Oh! Naegi! Master has told me all about you! He says you’re a great friend!”

“Master?” Naegi asked out loud, turning his eyes to Fujisaki. Fujisaki blushed at that, and nervously said, “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know what else for him to call me.” Naegi simply chuckled, and turned back to the computer. _He did? What did he say about me?_ he asked, curious as to what Alter Ego knew about him. “Only good things, I promise!” Alter Ego let out a giggle, winking at Naegi. This seemed to make Fujisaki giggle as well, even though he couldn’t hear what it was saying. “Are you with Togami too? Master says you’re always together!”

The smile that had formed on Naegi’s lips slowly left his face. His eyebrows creased as he answered the question. _No. He’s in the Cafeteria right now._

Should he mention the fight to Alter Ego? What would it say about it? Did it need context? Or would it be fine with just knowing where Togami was? He decided to go into more detail. _We got into a fight, so we aren’t going to hang out right now._

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Alter Ego apologized, now looking concerned. It’s mannerisms were eerily similar to Fujisaki’s. Alter Ego was a fitting name for it. “What happened?”

Naegi avoided the gaze of the computer, even though he was somewhat sure Alter Ego couldn’t see him. He let out a sigh and began typing his explanation. _He said that none of us have to be friends because we’ll all end up backstabbing each other. He’s a jerk._ Send.

“That’s not very nice!” Alter Ego commented, but didn’t say anything else as it watched Naegi type more. _I asked him why he was only nice to me, and he said that I was the exception. And then I asked what that meant, but he wouldn’t tell me_.

Alter Ego took a moment to process the statement, a thoughtful expression on its face. Once it knew what it wanted to say, it said, “Do you have any guesses as to why he might call you an exception?”

_My only theory is that it's because I’m his partner. I don’t know._

“Well, from what Master told me,” Alter Ego began, rubbing its fingers— that were attached to a disembodied hand— on its chin. “You two seem very close. Is that right?”

 _I guess,_ Naegi typed. He wasn’t truly sure where their relationship stood either. “Considering the data that I have on everyone on this ship, it seems that there is a possibility he may like you.”

_Like me?_

That didn’t make sense. Why would Togami like him? If he had gotten the implications correct, then Alter Ego meant— “Yeah! You know, like how a boy likes another boy! But romantically! And coming from that data I mentioned earlier, I think you like him too!”

“Wh-What?!” Naegi stuttered out, his eyes widening as he took his fingers off the keyboard and retracted his hands. “What’s wrong?” Fujisaki asked, concern flooding his features. Worry was laced through every word he spoke. “Are you okay?”

“I—“ Naegi was unsure of how to formulate his response. He already determined he had _some_ form of affection for Togami, but to get confirmation on it from someone— or _something—_ was a different story entirely. Not to mention he’d only met Alter Ego a few minutes ago. How much did it know about him? That was uncomfortable to think about.

“If you ask me, I think you should go talk to him,” Alter Ego said, puffing its cheeks as it thought out loud. “An argument wouldn’t do you any good. It’ll just tear you apart”

Naegi stared at the monitor, processing the information he was given. It wasn’t necessarily wrong; an argument wasn’t the best thing to be having. Even with the excuse of stress, something like this was the last thing anyone needed. “Naegi? Are you still there?” Alter Ego asked, its head tilting to the side. Naegi’s thoughts were interrupted as the A.I. spoke to him. He quickly typed in a _yes_ , and Alter Ego smiled. “Okay! I was just checking!”

_Why? Do you need me for something?_

“What are you guys talking about?” Fujisaki asked, his eyes trained on the computer screen. Though he only had Naegi’s part of the conversation, he was still very much intrigued. Naegi turned his head and moved one side of the headset off his ear. He blushed as he averted the other boy’s gaze, saying, “It’s helping me with some… stuff,” he answered, not wanting to outright say what they were talking about. “It’s really amazing, y’know that?”

“O-Oh, thank you!” Fujisaki exclaimed, smiling brightly at the knowledge that his programme was helpful in some way. “I’m glad he could help you!”

“I think, before you go, you should practice what you’ll say!” Alter Ego said, its eyes— though Naegi wasn’t sure how he could pull off such a thing— were shining brightly with excitement. “I can take on many forms, not just Master’s! Look!”

After Alter Ego finished its sentence, its avatar shrunk, until it had disappeared completely. A moment afterwards, Fujisaki wasn’t on the screen anymore. Rather, it was Togami. Or, well, Alter Ego _looking_ like Togami. “Naegi,” it greeted, giving a curt nod to the boy in front of the keyboard. Just as it was when it took Fujisaki’s form, it looked identical to Togami. It _sounded_ identical to Togami. 

...Technology was truly amazing.

 _Hello_ , Naegi typed, unsure of what to say. He knew it was still Alter Ego, but when it looked like _that,_ it was like speaking to a whole different person. Alter Ego arched an eyebrow, unamused at the dry greeting. “Is that all you have to say?” it asked, giving Naegi a condescending glare. “How pathetic.”

The tone matched too. It was like it was a perfect replica of him. _I’m sorry,_ he responded, his fingers hesitantly hitting each key. Thinking about talking to Togami after their argument made him unnecessarily nervous. _I just don’t know what to say._

Alter Ego scoffed at him, a sneer on its face. “I didn’t expect as much from you. After that stunt you pulled earlier, I don’t see how you would be able to look at yourself.”

Naegi sighed, his eyebrows furrowing in frustration. The argument wasn’t _his_ fault, but Alter Ego didn’t know that. Then again, Togami _would_ try to turn it on him to make it so. _That’s not true,_ Naegi typed, his pace getting faster as he hit each key. _Is it so wrong of me to have hopes that nobody else will die? We’re all friends here, and that includes you!_

“Naegi, you’re not supposed to keep fighting,” Alter Ego said. Its words were in Fujisaki’s voice, but they weren’t coming out of its avatars mouth. Instead, it was just a disembodied voice. “Try apologizing instead.”

“Sorry,” he muttered, trying to decrease the tension building up inside of him. He could see Fujisaki out of the corner of his eye, his face a mix of concern and confusion, but the smaller boy didn’t comment. He simply watched as the two continued the discussion. _I’m sorry,_ he answered again, realizing that Alter Ego couldn’t hear him verbally. Alter Ego let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. “Is there not something that you want to say?”

Naegi took a moment to think about what he would say. Of course, he wasn’t talking to the real Togami, but Alter Ego was a damn good replica. _I’m sorry for fighting with you earlier. I didn’t realize that not everyone could have the same view as me when it comes to the killing game. And I’m sorry for calling you a jerk. It’s just your opinion, and as much as I want to change it, I have to respect it._

Most of that made sense, right? It should be good enough as an apology. Togami might think it's good. He sent it, waiting for Alter Ego’s response. Alter Ego looked down at the message, presumably reading it. It let out a hum of acknowledgement, saying, “Is that so?”

_Yes._

“Very well, then. I’ll accept it,” it said, giving a nod of approval. “Is that it?”

 _I think so._ Alter Ego looked at him expectantly, though Naegi wasn’t sure what it was that it wanted. “Come on, Naegi!” Fujisaki’s voice called out. “You can do it!”

...Oh. It probably meant that _other_ thing it knew. That thing about his… _feelings_ and everything. Naegi took a deep breath, holding it afterwards while closing one eye and squinting with the other as he typed in the three words Alter Ego was encouraging him to say. Slowly, he typed them out. _I love you._

It took a moment for him to send it, his hand shaking and hovering over the enter key. Was he really about to profess his love to a machine before the real deal? ...Yes. He hit send, and nervously waited for its response.

“I love you too, Naegi,” it answered. Naegi let out a sigh of relief, the tension he caused himself quickly easing away. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but he was glad that he could at least say it without a rejection. As he looked up at the screen again, he saw that Togami’s avatar was no longer on display. Instead, Fujisaki’s appeared in its place, and it looked rather proud. “Pretty convincing, huh?”

 _Absolutely,_ Naegi answered, easing more at the sight of Fujisaki on the screen. For some reason, seeing the smaller boy rather than the boy he had a crush on was much less stressful. _You did a great job._

“Thank you!” it said, elated at the praise. “You did great too! Your apology was really good!”

Naegi smiled at the compliment, proud of himself for being able to do it. “Do you think you’re ready to talk to him now?” Alter Ego asked, tilting its head to the side as it asked the question. _Yeah. Thank you, Alter Ego._

“Anything to help!”

Naegi took off the headset and looked to Fujisaki. “I’m surprised at how real it seems,” he said, a small smile gracing his lips. “It’s incredible.”

“Th-Thank you!” Fujisaki stuttered out, blushing at the accolade. “I tried my best! Did he help you a lot?”

“Actually, yeah. He helped me realize a lot of things.” Naegi wasn’t going to specify, but that didn’t seem to bother Fujisaki. The latter looked pleased with himself and his programme. “I’m so glad to hear that! And, um, before you go, I’m almost done with your helmet,” Fujisaki said as Naegi stood up and rolled his chair away from the computer. “All I need to do is download a copy of him into it and see if it works.”

“I’m sure you can do it,” Naegi encouraged, putting his hands on his hips. “You’re the Ultimate Programmer! I’m sure you’ll have it done in no time!”

“Y-Yeah!” Fujisaki agreed, standing up and mimicking Naegi’s stance. “I’ll do my best!” 

Naegi began making his way to the door, but not before saying, “I believe in you, Fujisaki!” He got a thank you in return, and he sped up his walking pace to get to the Cafeteria as quickly as possible.

Instead of taking the route he did before, Naegi went through Storage and down the hall that lead to Administration and the Cafeteria. As soon as he walked through, he could see Togami sitting at their table, looking out the window to his right and idly tapping his fingers on the table's surface. It didn’t look like he was paying much attention to his surroundings— which wouldn’t be a good thing if someone were to target him— but rather, he was deep in thought.

It would be a lie to say that Naegi wasn’t glad to see him unharmed.

“Togami!” Naegi called out, running to the table while waving his arm in the air to grab the blond’s attention. Togami seemed startled at the sudden noise, and quickly snapped his head in the direction of Naegi’s voice. For a split second, Naegi could’ve sworn he saw a hint of happiness in Togami’s eyes at the sight of him, but it disappeared as soon as he saw it. 

Once Naegi was at the table, seating himself in his usual spot, Togami crossed his arms and nodded at him in acknowledgement. “Naegi,” he greeted. Just like how Alter Ego did. “Have you come to apologize for your actions?”

Naegi had slightly become defensive at the insinuation that it was _his_ fault they had fought. But then he remembered Alter Ego’s words. 

He wasn’t there to fight. He was, indeed, there to apologize. 

Naegi sighed, trying to release the tension his body was holding. “I’m sorry,” he said, looking up at Togami. Togami’s eyes met his, and suddenly apologizing seemed a bit harder. Doing it with Alter Ego was hard enough, but now he was facing the _real_ Togami. “I didn’t mean to start a fight with you, I was just really mad about what you said.”

That… wasn’t what he’d said to Alter Ego. However, it was still the truth, and there was no reason for him to hide it. “But you must admit, there is validity to my statement,” Togami replied, narrowing his eyes. “Being friends will not help anyone. It won’t matter what relationships are formed, they will all end up the same.”

“...Does that include ours?”

“What?”

The question seemed to take Togami by surprise. He surely wasn’t expecting it, and Naegi wasn’t expecting to ask it either. But… There was no taking it back at this point. “I mean, is our relationship going to end up the same as theirs? Because, by your logic, one of us will end up being killed.”

Togami rolled his eyes, scoffing. “I highly doubt that will happen,” he answered, not looking towards Naegi anymore. “You’ve noticed that almost every murder that’s occurred involved one or more person being separated from their partner, haven’t you? As long as we don’t separate, nothing will happen.”

“I guess that’s true.” Naegi reached over the table to grab onto Togami’s arm. “Still, though, I’m sorry about the fight. I really am.” Togami let out a sigh and looked back at him once more. “Naturally,” he responded, a smirk quirking on his lips. It wasn’t patronizing like it usually was. “I don’t expect someone like you to hold a grudge for long.” Naegi chuckled at that statement, and shrugged in response. “Yeah. I guess so.”

With that, the conversation ended. Togami ended up turning his head to the window again, but this time, Naegi could clearly see a smile remaining on his face. Naegi smiled too, and turned his gaze to the window as well.

If he were to be honest, there was nothing particularly interesting outside. There was just the vastness of space, as well as the occasional twinkle of distant lights. It wasn’t the most fascinating display, but it could probably hold his attention for awhile. After all, there was more out there than anybody could see.

He couldn’t lie, the stars in the sky were awfully pretty. They were all far off in space, farther than he could ever hope to be, but he could still see a variety of them. They were just specks in the sky, remaining stagnant in their places, but that may be what was intriguing about them in the first place.

That wasn’t taking into account the small asteroids floating here and there, spinning idly around as they headed in no meaningful direction. Naegi couldn’t make out the finer details of the rocks, but they were captivating nonetheless.

And, if he were being honest, there was no other person he’d rather watch the display with than Togami. He found the silence to be comfortable, and… if he were to be frank, he didn’t want it to stop any time soon. He let out a sigh of contentment, and turned to see how Togami was doing.

The blond’s focus was solely to the window, watching the sky. He looked equally, if not _more_ content than Naegi had felt. If Naegi had to take a guess, he would say that he was at ease for once. Togami always seemed a bit stressed, and seeing him look calm— possibly at peace— was, quite honestly, beautiful. Boy, was that expression on his face a sight for sore eyes. He was even more captivating than space itself.

While staring at Togami, his mind wandered back to his conversation with Alter Ego. By the end of his apology, he’d confessed his love to, well, the A.I. when it was dressed as Togami. With the situation as it was now, it would be a perfect time to say it out loud. Naegi took a breath before saying, “Hey, Togami?”

Togami looked over at the smaller boy, that small smile still on his face. If Naegi didn’t know any better, he would’ve said that it grew slightly wider when he turned to him. “Yes?” he asked, meeting Naegi’s gaze.

Naegi took a moment to think of how he should phrase his statement. Or… 

No. It was too soon. He couldn’t say it just yet. He wasn’t ready. “Do you think once we get off of this ship, we could do something together?”

“What do you mean?” Was he too vague? Perhaps he was too vague. After all, Togami didn’t seem to be the type of person to have many human interactions outside of a business setting. And that may have been a rude comment, but then again, Togami could be a rude person. Togami continued his question with an eyebrow raised in confusion. “Do you mean something along the lines of a hangout?”

Yup. Most definitely too vague. “Well, sort of,” Naegi answered, feeling his face heat up. He nervously scratched the back of his neck and looked away from Togami. He felt flustered, having to explain what _type_ of hangout he meant. He gulped before adding, “I mean more like… a date. If— If you’d be into that sort of thing.”

Looking back at Togami, he could see the taller male getting flustered as well. Naegi’s intentions were out in the open now, so he couldn’t really take it back, even if he wanted to. Togami didn’t look too sure about how he should respond. He might not have been faced with such a situation before. The same could be said for Naegi, in fact; he’d never been asked to go on a date himself, let alone be the one _asking._ Togami’s expression slowly changed from embarrassed to beatific, and he nodded his head. “I’d like that.”

Hearing the affirmation felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off Naegi’s shoulders. He was grateful that he wasn’t rejected, but at the same time, he was elated that he was accepted. He felt a smile tug at his lips, his heart fluttering as his mind repeated the phrase. _I’d like that_.

After a few moments of looking at each other, Togami wordlessly held out his hand, an invitation for Naegi to take it. He didn’t hesitate to grab it, their hands interlocking in a perfect fit. 

The touch felt like fire against Naegi’s skin, warmth shooting through his entire body. It was something he’d never felt before; something he never _thought_ he’d feel. But sitting there with Togami, holding his hand and staring at the stars… nothing could be more perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. We want answers. Why did you resist a police officer?  
> Why are you police officers?  
>  **I blew up Malaysia:)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After the absolute banger that was the last chapter, you may be surprised about how much this one sucks LMAODNFJFJGN  
> This one is probably the shortest chapter in the entire fic, but that’s okay. Maybe. I think the next one is a lot longer but I haven’t checked yet  
> I’m posting this early bc I’m writing a Christmas fic for myself and I want to post it on Christmas so. Yeah  
> Also would anyone be open to playing Identity V with me? I don’t have anyone to play with. My ID is 12298009 thank youuuu

Naegi wasn’t sure how long they’d sat there until they finally got up.

They’d been sedentary for a while, holding hands with each other and looking out the window. In that moment, it had been just them. They’d ignored the quiet footsteps of the other students, they’d ignored the whispers that followed said footsteps, they’d ignored everything and everyone.

It was just Naegi and Togami, in the start of, what the former would consider at least, a blossoming relationship.

But they couldn’t sit there forever. They had other things to do. 

Togami was the first one to stans up, his hand letting go of Naegi’s and making its way back to his side. “Do you want to walk around for a bit?” he asked. The rare smile that had previously quirked onto his lips was gone, but he didn’t have a frown on his face like usual. This time, it was more of a middle ground. 

And, much to Naegi’s chagrin, his hand was quickly becoming cold. 

“Sure,” Naegi answered, standing up and backing away from his seat. The warm feeling that was in his chest still lingered, but he found that he was yearning for some form of physical contact from the boy in front of him. He _would_ ask to hold hands again, but he wasn’t sure if Togami would be okay with that. He left the question unsaid, and went to join his side. “Is there any specific place we’re going?” 

“No,” Togami replied simply, looking straight ahead rather than at Naegi. “But a change of scenery is always nice, wouldn’t you agree?”

Naegi hummed a response, and waited for Togami to lead the way. However, the latter stood in place for a moment, seemingly thinking about something. Naegi was about to ask if he was feeling okay, but the question left his mind once Togami sighed and turned his head, avoiding Naegi’s gaze. Looking down, he could see—

Oh. His hand was extended in a silent, unspoken inquiry of _Would you like to hold hands?_. Naegi, unhesitatingly, slid his hand into Togami’s, their fingers intertwining just like before. And there was that flood of heat, of comfort, overtaking his senses. It was a wonderful feeling, and it was something he would never get tired of. “Alright, then,” Togami mumbled, looking straight ahead once more. Naegi could see the taller male’s cheeks glowing a soft red. If Naegi could see himself, he would surely see the same red on his own cheeks. “Let’s go.”

It seemed like beginning their walks in the direction of the Upper Engine was becoming a routine. It was always where they started, and if Naegi were to guess, they were going to end at Weapons. He didn’t mind taking the same path every time, he was just happy that Togami would want to walk with him at all.

Instead of their footsteps and white noise being the only sounds they heard, Naegi figured he should start up a conversation. 

The perfect topic would be to discuss what they had agreed upon. “Where do you think we should go?” Naegi asked, tilting his head to look up at Togami. That may not be the best direction for his eyes to be, he should be watching where he walked. Togami simply shrugged, saying, “I’m unsure. I’m not particularly familiar with… _dates_.”

From the sound of his voice, it seemed like the word was foreign to him. That shouldn’t be surprising, considering he didn’t realize that Naegi was asking him out at first, but still. “What do people do on these sorts of things?”

“Um, there’s a lot of things they do actually,” Naegi answered, his mind sifting for possible examples to tell. “Like, usually they go out somewhere. Sometimes they go to a restaurant, or maybe a park. There’s also the movies, or an arcade, or… Yeah. There’s a lot.” Togami didn’t answer immediately, seemingly taking every suggestion into consideration. Naegi, however, continued listing things off. “You don’t even have to go anywhere if you don’t want to. Sometimes, people just stay at home and watch TV. That’s a date too if you want to call it one.”

“There are certainly plenty of options,” Togami muttered to himself, bringing his hand to his chin as he thought about the choices given. “Well, I see no problem with any of them. I can afford every activity you’ve listed, therefore I am fine with any of them.”

“Are you sure you don’t have a preference?” Naegi asked, quirking an eyebrow. “It’s okay if you’d want to do something specific.”

“Generally speaking, if I were to have a partner, I’d want to give them the best that’s available,” Togami answered, his free hand falling back to his side. “That being said, I’ll give you anything you want.”

That was… not too helpful, but it was good to know that Togami would want his partner to be well taken care of. And he won’t lie, since he was now in that very position, it was interesting to think of what that could possibly entail. But that was not what they were necessarily talking about at the moment. “Okay, um…” he started, thinking about the perfect place for a first date. His face lit up and he snapped his fingers with his free hand as he thought of something. “I got it! How about we go to a cafe? Because you said you like coffee and everything, right?”

“A brilliant choice,” Togami praised, a proud smirk forming. “I expect nothing less from you.” 

“Thanks!” Naegi exclaimed, smiling brightly. It seemed like he’d made the right choice. Then again, it seemed obvious when taking into account what Togami had told him. Oh! And cafes were associated with the french, weren’t they? It was a perfect fit when put into retrospect. “I think it would be really fun!”

“I agree,” Togami said. He continued, proposing, “However, I’d assume that our date would not end there. Would you prefer to spend time afterwards?”

“More time with you would make me real happy!” 

...Did he just say that out loud? How embarrassing. He laughed off that comment with a flustered chuckle, and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “Um, usually near cafes there are parks, right? We could go to one afterwards and take a walk. That would be fun too, I think.”

Togami nodded in agreement, not saying anything in response. It seemed like he was deep in thought. Or maybe he was committing their forming plan to memory so he won’t forget. Then again, he doubted that Togami would forget, since Naegi wouldn’t either. “Afterwards, I think we could just hang out at one of our houses,” Naegi continued, thinking of what they could do.

Now it just seemed like they were planning an entire day together. Not like there was any issue with that; Naegi would be glad to spend as much time with Togami as he could. “We could lay in bed and watch a movie together. Or, well—“ Laying in bed may be a bit too intimate for a first date. Maybe he should tone it back a bit. “The couch would probably be better, actually. At least for the first few times.”

“Planning ahead, are we?” Togami asked, his voice in a teasing tone. “We hadn’t even finished the _first_ date, and yet you’re thinking of more.”

“Ah— sorry!” Naegi apologized, his face heating up more than it already had. “Poor choice of wording, I guess!”

“Don’t worry,” Togami reassured, giving Naegi’s hand a small squeeze. “I don’t mind.” Naegi breathed a sigh of relief, his hand squeezing back. “But, if we were to end our day with a movie, it would be ideal to return to my house. It has a home theater built inside.”

Right— Togami was rich. And his talent was being rich. That shouldn’t have been so shocking, but… “You have a movie theater in your house?!” Naegi asked, his eyes widening as his intrigue grew. “That’s so cool!”

Togami chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. “There’s a variety of other things my house harbours as well. Not just a movie theater.”

“Do you have a pool too? I heard fancy houses have those too!”

“Naturally. There’s also a library, a garden…” Togami stuck out one finger for every amenity he listed, until he had no more to draw. “There are many things.”

“Wow!” Naegi couldn’t imagine what Togami’s house could look like, considering the things inside it. Just the thought was exciting to him. But, then again, anything fancy would excite him, given the fact that he rarely, if not never, had seen such things outside of movies. “It sounds great!”

Togami didn’t reply to the compliment, but he seemed pleased by it. It was the truth, though; it all sounded so _fascinating_. They turned a corner, and Naegi’s eyes widened. “Oh. Looks like we’re back in the Cafeteria again.”

“Indeed,” Togami commented. His feet didn’t stop moving. Instead, he guided the two of them back to their table. But as they got closer, they could see something placed on top of it, almost as if it were left intentionally for them to find. “...What’s that?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What the fuck is a poggers? Please shut the fuck up you’ve been saying it for the past nine months.  
> Poggers this, poggers that, Goddamnit. Are you ever going to stop? Please be quiet for once in your life  
> Weirdchamp


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beep beep! It’s Christmas Adam today! How many pumpkin rolls are y’all gonna eat? I’m gonna eat at least one  
> UM this fic is derailing and it’s getting messy but then again. Chihiro supremacy he’s survived hella long and THH would’ve been a lot shorter if he survived past chapter two  
> Heart been broke so many times just want Chihiro back

Once Naegi had asked the question, his pace quickened to examine the object on the table

Upon closer inspection, the item in question was a photograph. “What the hell?” Togami muttered to himself, being the first to reach out and grab it. Naegi watched as the taller boy’s eyes scanned over the photo, presumably observing every detail of it. “That’s odd,” he said, furrowing his eyebrows. “I wouldn’t have guessed they knew each other.”

“Who?” Naegi asked, now standing on his tippy-toes to look at the picture as well. He grabbed onto Togami’s arm for support so he wouldn’t fall.

In the photograph, there was Kuwata, Oowada, and Ishimaru, all in what looked to be a classroom, while wearing matching brown school uniforms. But… this didn’t seem right. Naegi remembered that when they woke up on the ship, nobody had known each other. That included the trio in the picture. So why did it look like they were friends in the photo? “You find it strange too,” Togami stated, looking at Naegi through the corner of his eye. 

There he goes again, reading his mind like a book. He wasn’t wrong, though. “Something isn’t right about it, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yeah,” Naegi affirmed, nodding his head. “Do you think we should ask about it?”

“Who would we ask?” Togami countered, narrowing his eyes. “Every person in this photo is dead.”

“Ishimaru isn’t.”

“He isn’t?” Togami groaned and rolled his eyes. It looked like that fact annoyed him. Then again, it seemed like he didn’t really _enjoy_ Ishimaru’s presence. “What a bother.”

“We should ask him though,” Naegi said, bringing the conversation back to the photograph before Togami could ramble about how much he _didn’t_ like Ishimaru. “He’s gotta know something about it, right?”

“I suppose you’re right,” Togami agreed, turning his head to look back to the exit. “It’s just a matter of finding where he is.”

“That’s true.” Naegi took a second to think of the places Ishimaru may be. He had a hunch that the boy may be in Security in an attempt to keep everyone in line. But there was also Administration, with a device similar to the cameras, but its user couldn’t see who was where. The better option would be… “I think we should try Security. I think that fits better with his personality.”

“Fair enough,” Togami said. He began walking away in the direction of the engines, pulling Naegi along with him. He could be rather forceful when he put his mind to something, Naegi noticed. That was such a Togami way of thinking.

The walk was brief, seeing as the boys did not hesitate to get there. The photograph was suspicious to say the least, and they wanted any answers they could get on it. 

Upon entering Security, they could see Ishimaru studying the cameras intently, watching each one closely. His head snapped to his left once he heard Naegi and Togami enter the room. “You two!” he shouted, pointing his finger at both of them. “What have you been doing!?” His eyes trailed down once he noticed their— still conjoined— hands, and gasped in offense. “That is inappropriate!” he scolded, his pointing finger lowering to point at their hands. “Please refrain from committing acts of indecency in a school setting!”

“...We’re holding hands,” Naegi replied, confusion flooding his mind. “There’s nothing indecent about that.” Togami scoffed and rolled his eyes at Ishimaru, squeezing Naegi’s hand a bit tighter than he had been before. “Not only that, we aren’t even in a school,” Togami added. “How ignorant _are_ you?” Ishimaru’s eyes widened, offended at the comment. “How dare you! I simply want a proper environment!”

“Okay, okay,” Naegi said, giving into the— quite unreasonable if he were being honest— demand. His hand slid out from Togami’s, reluctantly drawing it back to his side. Togami glared at him in disapproval, unhappy at the smaller boy's compliance. “That’s not why we’re here anyway,” Naegi continued. “We wanted to ask you about something.”

“Oh?” Why did he always have to shout? “I am prepared to answer your question! What is it you need?”

“This, specifically,” Togami responded, holding out the photograph he had in his hand for Ishimaru to see. “What do you know about this picture?” Ishimaru made his way over to the two and grabbed the photo out of Togami’s hand. He looked over it until his eyes presumably landed on himself, and he looked… shocked? “I— Huh?” 

“What’s wrong?” Naegi asked, slightly shocked himself. Surely that was Ishimaru in that photo with Kuwata and Oowada, right? It couldn’t be anybody else. “Where did you get this?” Ishimaru asked, his voice disturbingly quiet. “I don’t remember taking this at all.”

“That’s absurd,” Togami stated, crossing his arms. “That’s you, isn’t it? How do you not know anything about it?”

“It _is_ me, but… I don’t know where this is.” Ishimaru’s eyes squinted at the photo, drawing it closer to his face. “I don’t remember ever going to school with these two.” He drew the photo away, extending his arms and glaring at it. “And it is very much inaccurate! I would never be friendly with a hooligan such as Oowada!”

“Surprise, you clearly were,” Togami stated, his words dripping with sarcasm as he stared down at Ishimaru. “How else would you explain the photo?”

“It is clearly fake!” Ishimaru claimed, placing his hands on his hips. “I have no recollection of taking this photo, _or_ being in a school like that!”

“I mean, that _could_ be it,” Naegi agreed, though he wasn’t entirely convinced. “It would be a really good fake if it was one.”

“Even if it is, we have no way of knowing,” Togami stated, extending his hand. “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to see it again.” Ishimaru handed the photograph back to Togami, and glanced back at the security cameras. “Do as you please with it!” Ishimaru shouted, now going back to the cameras. “I do not want a fake picture in my possession!”

“Uh, okay. We should go,” Naegi whispered that last part to Togami, the latter agreeing to the suggestion.

Once they were out of Security and, by extension, out of earshot from Ishimaru, the two could talk at a regular volume again. However, they were unsure of what to discuss. That was, they were before Naegi could pose another question. “Do you think Fujisaki would be able to tell? He’s a programmer, after all, so he probably knows a programme or something to determine if a photo’s fake or not.”

Togami hummed in agreement before responding with, “A bright idea.” They began walking through the halls once more, passing the Lower Engine and Electrical. Then, when they had made it to the door to Communications, they turned to go inside. 

Within Communications, Fujisaki was typing away to Alter Ego, who remained in the digital form of its creator. “What is _that_?” Togami asked, arching an eyebrow at the computer screen. “That’s just Alter Ego,” Naegi replied, making his way to Fujisaki. “Fujisaki made it.”

“It looks rather advanced,” Togami stated, observing the programme while staying closely behind Naegi. “That’s what I said when I saw it.” Naegi tapped Fujisaki’s shoulder, which promptly startled the smaller boy. “Agh!”

Naegi quickly backed up, though not by much, with his hands up in defense. “Sorry!” he exclaimed as Fujisaki took off his headset, a look of concern on the former’s face. “I didn’t mean to scare you again!”

“Ah— It’s okay, I promise,” Fujisaki reassured, placing a hand on his heart. “I was just too wrapped up in working again. Um— Do you need my help?” 

Before Naegi could respond, Fujisaki’s eyes trailed up to the taller figure next to Naegi. “You two made up?” he asked, tilting his head. “That’s great! Oh, um— I’m sorry, you can go on now.”

Naegi chuckled at Fujisaki’s excitement to see him and Togami back together. But that wasn’t why they were there. “Do you happen to have a programme that could scan photos?” Naegi asked, gesturing for Togami to show Fujisaki the photo. The taller male did as he was indirectly told, his hand extended to give Fujisaki the photo. “We found this and… Well, we asked Ishimaru about it, and he said it was fake. We were hoping we could get confirmation on that.”

“Even if you don’t, I can already tell it isn’t faked,” Togami claimed, crossing his arms. “He just doesn’t want to admit that he was friends with _Oowada._ The man didn’t even deny Kuwata’s involvement, _just_ Oowadas. It’s rather suspicious.”

“Oh, uh, Alter Ego might be able to scan it for you,” Fujisaki replied, taking the photo into both of his hands. “From a first look, it looks pretty real.”

“Right?” Naegi agreed, nodding his head. The two watched as Fujisaki put his headset back on, but with only one ear covered. The smaller boy quickly typed into the chat box, saying, _Can you scan a photo for me?_

Neither of them could hear Alter Ego’s response, but judging from the look on its face, the answer was yes. “He can,” Fujisaki confirmed, standing up from his seat. “Give me a moment to find the scanner.”

There wasn’t too much in Communications to go through, so a scanning machine should be around, right? Especially with so many computers around too. It only made sense for such a device to be somewhere in the room. 

The train of thought was short lived as Fujisaki whispered an “Aha!” and ran over to a machine in the corner of the room. It was covered in papers, making it slightly hard to find. Fujisaki quickly moved the stray papers off of the scanner, and placed the photo inside of it. Then, he turned on the machine, and turned back to the computer with Alter Ego on it. 

Alter Ego looked inquisitive as it scanned the photo, looking up with a thoughtful expression on its face as it worked. The work was quickly finished, however, as Alter Ego smiled and said something Naegi and Togami couldn’t hear. “He said he— Actually, let’s make this easier,” Fujisaki cut himself off, moving over to unplug the headset from the computer. _Can you repeat that?_ he typed, wanting Alter Ego to say what he had said after he finished. “Sure!” the A.I. responded, grinning at the three. “There’s an exact replica of this photograph on this computer’s hard drive. The meta data indicates that it was taken inside of Hope’s Peak Academy in September of 2011.”

“...What?” 

Various words of confusion were elicited from the boys, all looking bewildered at the claim. “That can’t be right.” Togami was the first to speak up, glaring at the computer screen. “It’s April.”

“Th-That’s—“ Fujisaki stuttered, unsure of what to say. He couldn’t believe it just as much as they couldn’t. _Are you sure?_ he typed, asking the question that was on the trios mind. “Absolutely!” Alter Ego confirmed, nodding its head. It moved its head to the side, and the same picture that they had given it popped up on the screen. “This is the same photo that you showed me. Nothing indicates that it was tampered with in any way. It’s an exact match!”

“But that can’t be true,” Naegi said, watching as Fujisaki typed into the chat box. “It’s— It’s not September yet.”

 _How can it be from September?_ Fujisaki asked Alter Ego as the trio became increasingly concerned. Alter Ego looked at them, equally as concerned. “What do you mean?” it asked, it’s head tilting in confusion. “It was taken a couple years ago. There should be no room for confusion.”

“Wait, what?” Naegi said, vocalizing the question that popped into all of their heads. _What are you talking about? It’s April._

“Master, are you feeling alright?” If Naegi didn’t know any better, he would’ve said that Alter Ego’s worry sounded genuine. “It’s July right now.”

“That’s impossible,” Togami sneered, narrowing his eyes at the A.I. “Your programme must be faulty.”

“...There shouldn’t be an error like this,” Fujisaki replied, typing into the chat box again. “Of course, there are bound to be bugs, but not like this…”

_What day is it today?_

“Today is July 14th, 2012!”

“No, that’s not right,” Togami grit his teeth as he spoke, and walked over to the computer. He moved Fujisaki aside and began typing. _What makes you think it’s 2012? It’s 2010 you wretched machine._

“Don’t be mean to him!” Fujisaki yelped, hurriedly tugging on Togami’s sleeve. “It’s not _his_ fault, it’s mine!”

“Um, ignoring the rude comment that I think came from…” Alter Ego closed his eyes and took a moment to process the information given. “Togami?”

“It’s smart yet stupid at the same time.”

“Stop it!” Fujisaki defended, though he looked to be on the brink of tears. “He just wants to help!”

“Anyway, according to this computer’s internal clock, and cross checking for accuracy with the internet, the current year is 2012.”

“This doesn’t— This doesn’t make sense…” Naegi rubbed his temples, his head beginning to hurt from trying to comprehend what Alter Ego was telling them. “We should— Should we start a meeting over this?” Fujisaki nodded his head, he too unsure of how to handle this. “It… might be better to talk about this with the others.” Togami hummed an agreement, and the three left Communications to call a meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you want a baby seat?  
> That would be a thoughtful thing to ask. IF THERE WAS A BABY HERE


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to, what I like to call, “How long will it take for you to want to punch Junko Enoshima in the face?”  
> Letting her be part of the game is the best and worst decision I’ve ever made and I love her so much  
> Also this is like? The longest chapter in the entire fic. Minus trial six, but we’re not there yet  
> Also peep me spreading me Chiakiro propaganda fr fr /hj

Immediately upon entering the Cafeteria, the meeting was called, and everyone gathered around at the meeting table. “What is the purpose of this?!” Ishimaru shouted, standing up and pointing at the three who called the meeting. “Nobody has died!”

“Uh— Where do we start?” Naegi looked up at Togami, silently pleading for help. Togami sighed and relayed the information that they’d apparently _learned_ from Alter Ego. “It’s supposedly the year 2012,” he said, sighing afterwards. “That’s what Fujisaki’s programme says, anyway.”

“What are you talking about?” Enoshima asked. Her typical mischievous tone completely gone. She didn’t seem amused. “Why would it be 2012? It’s clearly 2010.” Ikusaba whispered something into Enoshima’s ear. Whatever it was, Enoshima wasn’t happy. She was scowling instead of smirking like usual. “Are you okay?” Asahina asked, her question directed to Enoshima. 

Suddenly, the Enoshima they grew to know was back. Her trademark smile was back on her face, and she dismissed the question with a wave of her hand. “Yeah! I’m absolutely fine!” she replied, no sign of discontentment left. In fact, she seemed… rather pleased. “Carry on!”

“Uh, okay…” Fujisaki mumbled, deciding to take lead in the discussion. “Naegi and Togami found a photo, and they asked me to scan it for them. Uh— I should probably go get it, shouldn’t I?”

“Is it that picture of me and Oowada!?” Ishimaru interrupted before anyone could answer. “It is obviously fake! I would never be friends with him! Ever! Not Kuwata either!”

“Y-Yeah! That’s the one,” Fujisaki confirmed, nodding his head. “I’ll be right back, I’m gonna bring it over here.” He stood up and ran out of the Cafeteria into the direction of Communications. “May I ask why the programme thought it was 2012?” Oogami asked, being one of the calmer ones of the bunch. Her demeanour failed to rub off onto the others. “It says that because of the computer,” Togami answered, scowling and crossing his arms. “The thing is clearly wrong.”

“In retrospect, a time skip would make sense,” Kirigiri spoke up, her voice monotonous. She looked up as she spoke her thoughts out loud. “Though, two years does seem far fetched. For example, we all remember entering Hope’s Peak, yes?” Everyone nodded and gave noises of agreement. “I’m sorry! I’m back!” Fujisaki called, interrupting the discussion. He waved his arm in the air, holding the aforementioned photograph. “I have it!”

“Yes, it’s that one!” Ishimaru shouted as Fujisaki sat down in his place again. “That is the photo I was shown!” 

“Um, Alter Ego said it was from September of 2011,” Fujisaki said, placing the photo onto the table for everyone to see. “I don’t— It doesn’t sound right.”

“Ishimaru, did you know Oowada or Kuwata prior to entering Hope’s Peak?” Kirigiri questioned, looking straight to the man in question. Ishimaru looked offended at the inquiry, replying, “No! Absolutely not! I had heard of them, yes, but I had never met them!”

“Interesting.” Kirigiri tapped her chin, preparing her next question. It took her a moment to decide what to ask. “And you have no recollection of taking it?”

“No! And I don’t know where it was taken, either!”

“This is so boring,” Enoshima said, resting her hand on her chin. “This is boring. The tasks are boring, but this is _more_ boring.” 

“This is an important conversation, Enoshima,” Oogami said. “We need to figure out what this means.”

“Precisely,” Togami agreed, nodding his head. The interruptions from the other blonde in the room were annoying him more as they occurred. “Now if you would be so kind as to shut your mouth—“

“Don’t be rude!” Naegi scolded, trying to put on his best glare towards Togami. He dropped it as soon as he started it. “But yeah, this is pretty important I think.”

Enoshima groaned loudly, folding and rolling her torso on the table. Naegi was sure she was being a nuisance on purpose, just to cause a problem. “Is there a problem?” Kirigiri asked. Her expression was blank, but for some reason, Naegi could tell even _she_ was fed up with Enoshima’s act too. “Yes!” Enoshima said. “You’re boring me!”

“Don’t you want to find out why the computer thing said it’s 2012 too?” Asahina questioned, tilting her head. “It’s pretty weird.”

“I, like, really don’t care,” Enoshima said, folding her arms and putting her head into it. That probably wasn’t comfortable, considering the fact that she was still wearing her helmet, but that didn’t matter to her apparently. She just wanted to bother everyone… probably. “I’m bored and I’m tired. Wake me up when you stop being boring.”

“Junko, the conversation _is_ important,” Ikusaba spoke, slightly shaking Enoshima. “You can’t ignore it, you need to know what happens too.”

“No I don’t. Goodnight.”

“Yes, goodnight, you wench,” Togami said, glaring at Enoshima. “Back to the discussion at hand, what year truly is it?”

“Yeah,” Naegi agreed. “We need to find that out.”

“Ugh!” And there goes Enoshima, being a burden _again_. She was groaning, as well as making other sorts of bored noises. “Boring.”

“Shut up, you,” Togami commanded, just about ready to fight the girl. “How did you find out about the date anyway?” Kirigiri asked, now interrogating Fujisaki. “You said you have a computer programme. Alter Ego, was it? What does it do?”

“Oh, it’s pretty simple,” Fujisaki started, ready to explain all he could about Alter Ego. “He’s an A.I. designed to think and act like a human. He can do anything a person can, as well as more.”

“Interesting. What does that pertain to?”

“Um, he can do all sorts of things. He can talk, and think, just like I said… And he has access to a computer’s information. At least, the computer he’s downloaded on. For example, he has access to the one computer he’s on in Communications.”

“Can we see?”

“O-Oh— Of course!” Fujisaki stood up, ready to lead the group back into Communications. He seemed excited to share his creation with them all. “Follow me!” Fujisaki turned on his heel in the direction of Communications, and the group— minus Enoshima and Ikusaba— followed him. “I’m sure you’ll like him! He’s really nice!”

“Certainly,” Kirigiri stated, though she didn’t seem convinced at that statement. The group wordlessly went with Fujisaki to Communications, going through Weapons, past Navigation, and through Shields. 

Upon entering the room, they could see the computer in the far right turned on. “Agh!” Asahina shouted, quickly holding onto Oogami. “Fujisaki, it’s your head!”

“Th-That’s just Alter Ego,” Fujisaki stuttered, surprised at the sudden outburst from Asahina. “He’s friendly, I promise.”

“I have to admit, the resemblance to you is a bit uncanny,” Oogami added, an indirect affirmation of Asahina’s feelings towards the programme. “To be fair, programmers are known to make vanity avatars of themselves in their work,” Kirigiri stated, approaching the computer with Fujisaki. “If I’m not mistaken, it should sound like you too.”

“Yeah,” Fujisaki confirmed with a nod of his head. He sat back down in his office chair and typed into the chat box once more. _Hello._

“Master! You’re back!” Alter Ego exclaimed, it’s face lighting up with joy. “Where did you go?”

_We were having a meeting._

“Oh… Um… Who died this time?”

“It knows about… the deaths?” Asahina asked, speaking the question on the rest of their minds. Well, the rest didn’t include Naegi and Togami. “Yeah, um… I’ve been telling him about what’s been going on,” Fujisaki said, simultaneously typing as he did. “I felt it would be better not to keep him uninformed.” _Nobody’s died. We’re just confused about the date._

“I don’t understand,” Alter Ego said, confused as well. “I told you the date, Master. It’s July 14th.”

“Yes, but what year?” Kirigiri asked out loud, gesturing for Fujisaki to type the question for her. _What year?_

“You’re worrying me, Master…” Alter Ego replied, concern laced in it’s— slightly robotic, yet still organic— voice. “It’s 2012, just like I said.”

“May I?” Kirigiri asked, gesturing for Fujisaki to move over. The smaller boy reluctantly did so. _How do you know this?_ _Where_ _did you learn this?_

“Um… You should know already. That’s just what this computer says,” Alter Ego claimed. “To make sure it wasn’t tampered with, and that the time and date is completely accurate, I checked the internet for confirmation. It’s most definitely July 2012.”

“This doesn’t make sense!” Ishimaru shouted at the computer. “How would it be 2012!?”

“Yeah, I agree!” Asahina shouted too, putting her hands on her hips. “That doesn’t make any sense! The internet must be lying!” Kirigiri put a hand on her hip too and tapped her chin as she thought again. “I’m not too sure,” she said, furrowing her eyebrows. “What do you mean?” Togami spoke up, crossing his arms. “Are you saying there’s a chance it could be _right?_ ”

“Perhaps.” Kirigiri turned away from the monitor in favour of looking at the group. “Before the conversation was cut short, I mentioned that we all walked into Hope’s Peak before waking up here, right?”

“That’s correct,” Togami answered, narrowing his eyes at Kirigiri. “Why?”

“Don’t you think it’s odd that we were starting our first day of school, and then suddenly we wake up on a spaceship of all things? It wouldn’t make sense unless there was some sort of time skip we weren’t aware of. After all, there had to be a way for us to get here.”

“While that _is_ plausible, I don’t see how we could _possibly_ be transported two years into the future. Explain _that_.”

“For now, I don’t have a theory I can back up with evidence,” Kirigiri stated simply. “But I _do_ have one.”

“And what may that be, exactly?”

“That we have amnesia.”

The remaining students all gave different noises of shock. Well, all except Togami, who thought the idea was unbelievable. “Amnesia? Are you hearing yourself right now?” He scoffed, narrowing his eyes even further. At this point, if one weren’t paying attention, it looked like he was squinting. “That’s utterly ridiculous. How would we have gotten amnesia? Not to mention the fact that this would be a case of _collective_ amnesia.” Kirigiri simply shrugged, choosing not to humour Togami too much. “Like I said, it’s only a theory. But with the information that was given, it seems to be a possibility, albeit a stretch.”

“Um, are you guys fighting?” Alter Ego interrupted, concern flooding its virtual features. “I can’t really hear you, so I’m only guessing…” Kirigiri typed a simple _Yes_ , and Alter Ego looked even more worried. “I-I’m sorry!” it apologized, bowing its head. “It’s my fault, isn’t it?”

_No. You have done a good job so far._

Alter Ego sighed, but it's worry didn’t leave its face. “That’s good at least, but… Please don’t fight. It’s not good for anybody.” Alter Ego took a moment to add more, an ellipse appearing over its head as it thought. An exclamation point took the ellipse’s place before the icon disappeared altogether. “There are plenty of other pictures on this computer if you’d like to see,” it said, a smile replacing its frown. “Maybe it’ll help you!”

“There’s more?!” Ishimaru shouted. It was his turn to interact with the A.I. now. He put his hands on his hips as he continued with, “I demand to see more of _me_ to make sure that photo with those hooligans are an outlier!” Kirigiri rolled her eyes and typed, _Please show them. Ishimaru would like to see a couple with him in them._

“Oh! Okay!” Alter Ego smiled. “Coming right up!” It’s head disappeared, with a bar labelled ‘Searching’ appearing. “Why do we have to start with you specifically?” Naegi asked. If his words came off as rude, it was unintentional. “Shouldn’t we find, like… class pictures or something?”

“Oh! That’s a great idea!” Asahina said, supporting Naegi’s claim. “Maybe they’ll have pictures of all of us together!”

“Perhaps,” Kirigiri agreed as well, nodding her head. “However, it’s best we appease Ishimaru before he begins scolding us.”

“I would not scold you!” Ishimaru defended, raising a finger to grab the group’s attention. As if his voice alone didn’t do that… “A simple no would have sufficed!”

“Would it though?” Kirigiri made no effort to hide her skepticism at the statement. A ding sound came from the computer, ending the conversation. “Here are a few photographs with Ishimaru!”

On the screen, four pictures including Ishimaru appeared. In each one, he, as well as whoever else was in the photo, wore a brown school uniform, and either a red tie or black ribbon depending on the person's gender. “They all— Why?!” Ishimaru went up closer to the computer, his eyebrows furrowed in frustration. “He’s in _all_ of them!”

“I— I’m in one of them too?” Fujisaki questioned, his hands clasped together as he looked at himself. “Wh-Why am I there?”

“This is absurd!” Ishimaru ignored Fujisaki’s question, more focused on the fact that there were _more_ photos of him and Oowada.

“Hey!” Enoshima walked into Communications, Ikusaba in tow, and put a hand on her hip. 

Her terribly impeccable timing never ceased to amaze anyone. 

She strutted as she joined the rest of the group, arching an eyebrow as she asked, “What are we doing?” She looked up at the computer screen, and in an instant, her diva personality was replaced with a bubbly one. “Ooh! Are we looking at old school photos?”

“Enoshima! Do you believe these are real!?” Ishimaru snapped his head to look at the girl, desperate for someone to be on his side. “These can’t be, right!?”

“Dunno,” Enoshima replied, walking over to a table near the door and sitting on top of it. Ikusaba silently followed her sister’s lead. “Looks pretty real to me.”

“Dang it!”

“Ishimaru, I think you’re in denial,” Oogami commented, looking down at the smaller male. “Perhaps, if the amnesia theory is correct, you and Oowada were friends.”

“We were never!” Ishimaru responded. He was beginning to look unsure of himself. Knowing him, though, he wouldn’t vocalize it. “I would not associate with a criminal!”

“This is idiotic,” Togami butt in, joining Fujisaki, Kirigiri, and Ishimaru at the computer. “Let’s move on already, I want to see what else this thing has.” Togami bent over, blocking Kirigiri from the keyboard, and typed, _Do you have any group photos?_

“Not looking for yourself?” Enoshima commented snarkily. “I thought you’d be more egotistical than _that_.”

“Be quiet,” Togami ordered, ignoring the rude remark. “Before you decided to join us, Naegi suggested we look for group photos.”

“Of course you’d agree with _Makoto,_ he’s _Makoto._ ”

...Why was she calling Naegi by his first name? Not only that, she was putting emphasis _specifically_ on his name. That confused him, but he didn’t see a reason to question it. It wasn’t too important to him. 

Togami, however, did not take the comment well. He looked behind him to Enoshima, glaring daggers at her while gritting his teeth. “Don’t. Call him that,” he said. Naegi noticed that his hands were clenching into fists. So much so, that his knuckles were turning white and it looked like his nails were digging into the palm of hand. “You have no right to call him by his first name.”

“Aw, why?” Enoshima asked, putting on a cutesy voice. “We’re friends! Right, _Makoto?_ ”

“Uh, sure!” As odd as Enoshima was, he couldn’t say no to having another friend on his side. “We can be friends, Enoshima!” He kind of thought that he was friends with everyone on this ship already, but… guess confirmation was due. “Fine, then,” Togami grumbled. Louder, he said, “Then _I_ get to call him Makoto too.”

“Are you jealous?” Enoshima asked, keeping her cutesy voice in play. “Are you jealous that I said his name first?”

“Uh, if it means anything,” Naegi started, indirectly trying to break up the fight. “All of you guys can call me by my first name if you want.”

“I’m back!” Alter Ego interrupted once more, taking the group's attention again. Thank God for its perfect timing. “Here are a few group photos! I made sure to find ones with everyone in them!”

On the screen, four more photos were shown, replacing Alter Ego where it’s head had been. Two took place in a classroom, one at a school’s— presumably Hope’s Peak— gym track, and one in— once again, presumably in Hope’s Peak— a swimming pool. In each one, every person, dead _and_ alive, were present. They were all wearing the same brown uniform, red tie or black ribbon, with small exceptions here and there.

The resemblances to all of them... It was, quite frankly, uncanny, at least in Naegi’s mind. Seeing himself there, in a place he’d only barely stepped in once, with the group of people he’d only met recently, it was… It didn’t feel real. None of it did. 

“In case you were interested, here’s the important metadata of these pictures,” Alter Ego began, though his icon didn’t appear on screen. “These were all taken in Hope’s Peak Academy, ranging between 2010 to 2011.”

“Interesting,” Kirigiri muttered to herself, examining each photograph in front of them. “For confirmation, none of you remember taking these, correct?” Shakes of the head and hums of the same caliber was her answer. “So then, we can confirm we’ve lost at least a years worth of memories.”

“I have a question!” Enoshima shouted, raising her hand and waving it. “Hey!”

“What is it?” Kirigiri answered. She seemed tired of Enoshima’s antics, and in truth, so was Naegi. “Why’s Fujisaki wearing the girls uniform?”

Attention was brought to the two classroom photos, where everyone wore their matching school uniforms. Just as Enoshima pointed out, there was Fujisaki, not wearing a matching pair of brown pants and a red tie, but rather, a navy blue skirt and a black ribbon. “I-I—“ Fujisaki stuttered out, now becoming nervous. “I-I can, um, explain, but—“

“It’s a rather odd choice of clothing, I must admit,” Togami commented, arching an eyebrow. “But to each their own, I guess.”

“No! It’s not what it looks like, I-I promise!”

“Then what is it?” Enoshima pushed, her intense gaze directed straight at the boy in question. “Tell us! C’mon, tell us, Fujisaki!”

“Um—“

“Might I ask why you’re pressuring him?” Oogami interrupted, her gaze not as intense as the other girl’s, but intense nonetheless. “Have you thought that he may not want to speak about it at the current moment?”

“Besides, Fujisaki’s apparent cross-dressing situation is the least of our worries,” Kirigiri added, ignoring the banter that had commenced. “We have bigger issues at hand.”

“I just wanna know!” Enoshima pouted, tilting her head and swaying her feet in a playful manner. “You guys are no fun!”

“You keep saying that, yet we’re all the most mature ones here,” Togami shot, putting a hand on his hip. “How pathetic.”

“I have to admit, these are pretty interesting,” Naegi commented, also ignoring the argument that was going on. “I mean, what if we really _do_ have amnesia? These are like looking at lost memories.”

“To be fair, that’s pretty much what they are,” Asahina said, an indirect agreement to Naegi’s claim. “It’s like looking at some other dimension or something. Like, these are totally us, but we don’t remember any of it.”

“Are you proposing these are from a different timeline?” Ikusaba asked, finally speaking up. Enoshima audibly groaned and rolled her eyes. “You’re so dumb, Mukuro. Why would she say that? Stop talking, you’re _so_ annoying.”

“O-Oh,” Ikusaba stuttered, her voice now quiet. “Sorry, Junko.”

“Sh-She was just contributing to the conversation,” Fujisaki said, defending Ikusaba. “You don’t have to be so mean to her…”

“Don’t worry! She likes it! Right, Mukuro?” Ikusaba hesitantly nodded her head, a seemingly forced agreement to Enoshima’s claim. “Yeah! See?”

“Oh…” Fujisaki turned back to the computer, deciding not to engage in any more conversation. He didn’t want to be immediately shot down again, Naegi theorized. That was fair, but he felt kind of bad for him.

“Hey!” Enoshima shouted again, garnering the attention of everyone again. Was she doing this just to be a burden on purpose or something? “What is it _now_?” Togami asked, voicing the annoyance of the rest of the group. “You guys see the one in the top corner?” she pointed at the group photo in the top left, with everyone sitting in desks and posing towards a camera. “You see it? Do you? Do you see what I’m talking about?”

...Oh.

Though Naegi hadn’t initially commented on it, in the back of the photo was both himself and Togami. And it looked like the two were in close proximity to each other, leaving no space between them. Naegi had one hand up in a peace sign, while Togami had his arm around him. The two, along with everyone else, were smiling towards the camera, with Oowada, Fukawa, and Ikusaba as exceptions. Oowada was asleep on his desk, Ikusaba wasn’t looking at the camera, nor was she smiling, and Fukawa was in the back corner, not looking at the camera either. “What are you talking about?” Kirigiri asked, not amused by the interruption. “There’s nothing to call attention to in that picture.”

“Yes there is! Look at it!” she insisted, a devilish smirk on her face as she continued pointing at the screen. “Look real hard, okay?”

“This is stupid,” Togami muttered, turning away from the computer and rejoining Naegi near the back of the group. He must know what she was gesturing at too. “Can we move on now?”

“If you’re trying to bring attention to Togami and Naegi,” it’s not working,” Kirigiri said, typing into the chat box. _Thank you._

After that, the pictures disappeared, and they were replaced with Alter Ego’s smiling face. “I’m always happy to help!” it exclaimed, grinning. “Aw, are you guys done with it _already?”_ Enoshima whined, sliding off the table and landing on her feet. Ikusaba remained sitting on the table. “You’re so boring. I want to see more!”

“I think you’re taking this a bit too far,” Ikusaba spoke up, though her voice was hardly noticeable. “You can always stop.”

“Shut up, Mukuro!” Enoshima shouted, her words like bullets to her sister. “Let me do what I want to!”

“O-Oh… Okay…”

Enoshima walked over to the keyboard, shoving Kirigiri to the side so she could stand directly in front of it. “Hm, I wonder if there are any pictures of me,” she started, quickly typing into the chat box. _Can you show any pictures of me? Thanksies! ~Enoshima_

“Oh! Enoshima is here too?” Alter Ego asked, his mouth agape in surprise. “Are _all_ of Master’s friends here?”

 _Yes! ;-D_ Enoshima answered, adding an emoticon for, presumably, dramatic effect. Alter Ego smiled and said, “Well then, hello, everyone! It’s nice to meet you all!” After a moment, he added, “Let me see if I can find any pictures for you, Enoshima!”

“He’s such a sweetheart,” Enoshima doted, with one hand on her helmet where her cheek would be and the other waving with flattery. “How nice!”

A couple moments later, the computer monitor displayed four pictures, all of Enoshima in various poses. She didn’t wear the typical school uniform, though the pictures were in a school setting. She wore a black cardigan with a plaid red skirt, a black and white tie with a crossed out circle in the centre, a red bow that matched the one she was wearing on her suit, and she had two hair clips; the left side had a white and red bow, and the right side had a white rabbit. “I’m so cute! Don’t you guys think I’m _so_ cute?”

Enoshima was met with silence. Her bubbly personality was replaced with one of neutrality. “Wow,” she said, her voice changing to exaggerate her apathy. “You guys are really boring.”

“I mean, to be fair, none of us want to watch you compliment yourself,” Asahina said, speaking what the rest of the group was thinking. However, she added on with a smile, “You’re really pretty, though!”

“Oh.” Enoshima walked away from the computer and rejoined Ikusaba in sitting on the table. “Thanks.”

“Uh, if you guys don’t mind, I want to see pictures of myself too,” Fujisaki stated, replacing the spot in which Enoshima stood. “That’s okay, right?”

“Of course,” Oogami spoke, nodding her head. “I feel as if I can speak for everyone when I say you may do whatever you like with the computer programme.”

“Yeah!” Naegi agreed, backing up Oogami’s statement. “After all, you _were_ the one to make it!”

“O-Oh—“ Fujisaki stuttered, though he didn’t seem nervous. Instead, a small smile quirked on his lips. “Thank you!” He turned to the keyboard, slightly bent down, and began to type. _May I see pictures of myself too? -Fujisaki_

“Of course, Master!” Alter Ego exclaimed, its face appearing behind the photographs. A smile mirroring Fujisaki’s real life expression was shown. “Anything for you!” The pictures of Enoshima disappeared, and Alter Ego took a minute to find a few pictures of its creator. _Thank you._

A few seconds after Fujisaki hit the enter key to send his gratitude, four photos of _him_ were shown on screen. “Here you go!” Alter Ego said, though its head was nowhere to be seen. 

Each photograph featured Fujisaki and a couple of the other students. One was with him, Oowada, and Ishimaru, sitting at a lunch table and smiling. Another was him, Naegi, and Maizono, all posing for the photo. He was waving while Naegi and Maizono each had peace signs displayed on their hands. But then he saw the one on the bottom left, and uttered out a question. “Who’s that girl? I don’t remember seeing anyone like that here.”

The girl in the aforementioned photo wore a brown jacket— the school uniforms jacket— with a cream coloured hoodie underneath. She had light pink hair that curled at the ends, and a hair clip shaped as a pixelated ship clipped to the side of her bangs. She was sitting in front of a computer, with Fujisaki standing behind her. They were both looking towards the camera. _Who is the girl in the bottom left corner?_ Fujisaki typed, vocalizing his question.

Alter Ego appeared, looking confused. The other photos disappeared, leaving the one in question on the left of the screen with Alter Ego on the right. “Don’t you recognize her, Master?” it asked, tilting its head to the side. “You were quite fond of her if my data is correct.”

“I was?” Fujisaki said out loud, likely a slip from his mind. “Perhaps that backs up the amnesia theory,” Kirigiri commented. “I find it hard to believe that you would just _forget_ someone you were close with.”

“Y-Yeah…” _I’m sorry, I don’t know her._

Alter Ego looked down solemnly, appearing sad at the statement. “Oh…” it muttered. It’s head disappeared, and a picture of the girls profile appeared in its place. “This is Nanami Chiaki, the Ultimate Gamer,” it began, explaining the identity of the unknown girl. “She was a part of Class 77-B at Hope’s Peak Academy. By my understanding, you two were close friends.”

“So she’s one grade above us,” Kirigiri muttered to herself as she took in the information. “How interesting.” This was all really strange. “Wait a second,” Naegi started, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “What did it mean by ‘was?’ Did something happen to her?”

“That is… an excellent question,” Togami agreed, looking down as he thought about it. “Why would it refer to her in past tense?”

“U-Um, I’ll ask.” _Did something happen to her?_

The photograph disappeared, and Nanami’s profile slid to its place. Alter Ego appeared on the right, looking rather saddened. “You don’t know that either?” it asked, sorrow in its voice. “...She died last year. Right before The Tragedy happened.”

“The Tragedy?” Kirigiri and Togami asked simultaneously, both curious as to what that could mean. “What’s ‘The Tragedy?’” Togami continued, uncertainty displayed on his features. “Hi!” Enoshima shouted, disrupting the conversation once more. “You guys remember how we have tasks to do? We should finish them!”

“Oh! That’s right!” Ishimaru added, his eyes widening at the realization. “We’ve completely forgotten about them! We have been so caught up in staring at these photos that we’ve been neglecting our duties!” The boy put his hands on his hips in an authoritative position. “I say we go back to doing our tasks until we’re all finished! Then we can come back and learn about whatever The Tragedy is!”

“Do you not think The Tragedy could be something important?” Kirigiri questioned, staring straight at Ishimaru. “It may be a clue as to why we’re on this ship.”

“While that may be true, there is no excuse to neglect our tasks!” Ishimaru answered, puffing up his chest to look more commanding. “We can learn about it afterwards!”

“Great job, Enoshima,” Asahina said sarcastically, crossing her arms and looking at the girl she was referring to. “Now we won’t be able to learn about The Tragedy until we get our work done.” Enoshima simply giggled, a mischievous smile on her face. “I’m sorry!” she apologized, though it sounded fake. “I think our work is important too!”

“No you don’t,” Ikusaba said, her soft tone barely reachable to the rest of the group. “You hate working.” Enoshima glared at her sister, but said nothing. “Go on!” Ishimaru commanded, his eyes darting between each of his remaining classmates. “Get back to working! The time for chit chat is over!”

Each student either rolled their eyes or elicited a sound of annoyance. The topic of their potentially missing memories and whatever The Tragedy was was _way_ more interesting than doing their tasks. However, you win some and you lose some. “We should go,” Naegi muttered to Togami, tugging the taller boy’s arm. “Before he starts yelling, y’know.” Togami seemed less than pleased about that, but agreed to go anyway.

Once they had left Communications, Naegi sighed and said, “That was a lot to take in.” Togami agreed, adding, “Indeed it was.” Though they began heading in the direction of the Cafeteria anyway, Togami asked, “Would you like to go back to the Cafeteria?” Naegi simply shrugged and said, “Yeah. Sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Mickey mouse voice* No one’s been nice to me in so long. Minnie’s been a fucking bitch. She’s been so mean during this stupid Covid thing.  
> She won’t wear a mask, she said she voted for Trump, and she’s been beating the shit out of me in my own house, Pal. **MY** Mickey Mouse clubhouse.  
> M I C K E Y. That’s my fucking house


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, AO3. I need to say smth  
> No I don’t because I decided saying it on here was a bad idea. Sorry to maybe the two people who saw it  
> Anyway I lied, THIS is probably the shortest chapter in the fic. It’s pretty filler and I’m sorry but I literally have nothing better to do so that’s why I’ve been posting multiple chapters a day oops  
> For compensation, I’m probably gonna post another one later tonight because God forbid I actually finish the Christmas fic I’m working on by Christmas instead of focusing on this, the already written fic

After setting foot into the Cafeteria once again, the two sat at their usual spot. This time, Naegi folded his arms on the table and rested his chin on top of them, and Togami sat straight with his hands folded in his lap. “Is something on your mind?” Togami asked, looking down at Naegi. “You seem to be a bit worried.”

“It’s nothing,” Naegi said, his head dropping to lay on one of his arms. “Just thinking about stuff.”

“Like?” It was clear Togami was prompting him to continue the conversation, but the smaller boy was unsure why. Perhaps he was interested in what he was thinking. Or maybe he was concerned for him. Who knew. “I mean, what if Kirigiri’s right and we _did_ lose our memories? It’s really scary to think about.” Togami nodded his head and agreed. “It is, is it not? Who knows the things we missed out on, simply because we were given amnesia.”

“...Do you think we were together during our school life?”

The question came out of the blue, but it had been on Naegi’s mind after seeing the photos of him and his classmates. Especially the one where he and Togami were next to each other, in a semi-intimate position. Togami took a moment to respond, processing the question and determining an answer. “It may be possible,” he replied, averting Naegi’s gaze. “It would make sense as to why…” He gestured to the boy sitting across from him. “You know.”

“Why we got together so quickly?” Naegi finished the sentence for him, hoping that that was the correct answer. Togami simply nodded his head and responded, “Precisely. It is a bit odd, don’t you think? I can’t speak for you, but I know that when _I_ first saw you in that room we woke up in, I…” He sighed and shook his head. “Nevermind. I don’t care to discuss that.”

“I think I know what you mean,” Naegi said, looking down as he thought about their first meeting. When put in retrospect, his quickly garnered feelings made more sense if they had dated before losing their memories. He remembered feeling some sort of connection to Togami right off the bat, and he knew he didn’t want to separate from him once the taller male partnered up with him and Maizono. The pieces in his mind fit together like a puzzle, painting a picture of a relationship he didn’t remember having. “...Yeah. I most definitely know what you mean.”

“I would like to call attention to another thing,” Togami stated, now deviating from the conversation topic. “This is unrelated, but it’s been bothering me since it happened.”

“Go ahead. I’m listening.”

“Are you _really_ going to let Enoshima of all people address you by your first name?” he questioned, arching an eyebrow. “You two are hardly friends. Does it not bother you?”

“Well…” That was sort of a complicated question. Enoshima was one of his least liked companions on the ship, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t his friend like everyone else. “I don’t really mind. Everyone can call me Makoto if they want to.”

“How fascinating,” Togami muttered, rolling his eyes. He seemed annoyed at that fact. Why would that be? It was just his name, after all. “You know you’re also included in that, right? You can call me Makoto too.”

“Yes, I’m aware,” he said, looking anywhere _but_ at Naegi. His annoyance only grew, though Naegi didn’t know why. Maybe he shouldn’t press the issue; Togami didn’t seem like he wanted to talk about who could and couldn’t call Naegi by his first name. “If you want, I can call you by your first name too.” Togami pursed his lips, taking a moment to respond. He didn’t seem like the type of person to go for informalities, so Naegi was mostly expecting a ‘no.’ However, Togami simply sighed and nodded, saying, “Do as you wish. I won’t stop you.”

“Cool!” If Naegi remembered correctly, Togami’s first name was… “It’s Byakuya, right?” It was sort of a mouthful, but he wasn’t going to express that verbally. Togami would probably be mad if he did. Togami nodded, replying, “That’s correct.” 

If Naegi looked closer, he could see a hint of red on the other boy’s cheeks. Perhaps he wasn’t addressed by his first name often. “Right, okay,” Naegi said, looking down at the table and furrowing his eyebrows in concentration. “It’s Byakuya. Byakuya. _Byakuya_ ,” he muttered, repeating Togami’s name over and over again. “Byakuya.”

“What are you doing?” Togami asked, confusion laced through his words. Naegi looked up from the table to Togami, answering, “I’m just making sure I say it right.”

“Oh… Fair enough.” He let it go with just that? That seemed kind of strange. Naegi wasn’t going to question it, though. “It’s not particularly hard to say, though.”

“I mean, true, but it’s not a name I’ve really heard before.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. The only other time I’ve heard it was in an anime that my sister likes. But, uh, I didn’t really watch that one, so I’m _still_ unfamiliar with it.” Togami didn’t say anything after that, leaving the conversation to drift away. 

Naegi went back to trying to perfect Togami’s— or, Byakuya, now— name. He repeated it in his mind several times, trying to perfect the way he said it. _Byakuya. Byakuya. Byakuya._ _ Byakuya. _ _…’Kuya?_ Would Byakuya let him use a nickname on him? Or would that just be overkill? 

Naegi propped his head up with his hand and looked up at Byakuya once more with a smile on his face. “Do you think I could call you ‘Kuya?” he asked, trying not to seem too eager with his newfound discovery. Byakuya seemed a bit surprised at the question. “‘Kuya?” he echoed, looking a bit flustered. Why was he flustered? It was just a nickname.

Well, knowing Byakuya, he’s probably never had one before. “Yeah! Y’know, like a nickname!”

Byakuya’s cheeks turned red, and he averted Naegi’s gaze again. He cleared his throat, attempting to regain his composure. “If you want to, you may.”

...That wasn’t a definitive answer. “But do _you_ want me to? If you don’t want me to, I won’t.”

“Like I said,” Byakuya began, avoiding the question once again. “Do as you wish.”

“Is that your way of saying yes?”

Byakuya didn’t answer with words, as he simply looked away and nodded his head. “Oh. Okay, then!” The conversation ended there, with Naegi particularly happy at the fact that he was not only allowed to call Byakuya by his first name, but by a nickname as well. It felt sort of special when he thought about it. Byakuya didn’t seem like the type of person to let just _anyone_ deviate from calling him ‘Togami.’

Maybe Naegi should stop thinking about it now. It was getting kind of weird. Thus, the two sat in silence once more, without saying another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What’s with these homies dissing my girl  
> Why do they try to front


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!  
> What did y’all get today? I got three anime figures, two Danganronpa shirts, three Sonic mini figures, and 8$ LAMOFNGGJJG  
> UHH we’re close to trial five? AKA my second favourite trial i wrote. It’s going to be exciting!

After a while, Naegi had gotten bored. Of course, he enjoyed spending time with Byakuya, especially when it was just the two of them alone, but at the same time, he wanted to explore some more. Even though there wasn’t really anywhere else for them to go. 

“Do you want to take another walk?” he suggested, looking up at Byakuya. Byakuya, who had taken an interest in looking out of the window again, looked back at him and nodded his head. “Sure.” 

Naegi stood up from his spot, walking over to Byakuya’s side of the table as the latter left his seat as well. Once Byakuya had fully stood up, Naegi stuck out his hand, an offer to hold hands once again. Byakuya took a moment to respond to the gesture, staring down at Naegi’s hand, but ultimately took it after a few seconds. Naegi smiled at this, and the two began their stroll.

Instead of starting at the Upper Engine like usual, the two headed in the direction of Weapons. It wasn’t too much of a deviation from the norm, but it was a nice change of pace. Sort of.

The two entered Weapons, being met with Asahina sitting in the chair in the centre while Oogami stood behind her and watched. If Naegi remembered correctly, Byakuya had the exact same task Asahina was doing when _they_ — along with Maizono— were in Weapons for the first time. It felt like so long ago when they were all together, and it left Naegi feeling a tad bit nostalgic. 

He hadn’t known Maizono for long, but he kind of missed her. After all, she _was_ his first friend on the ship, even if she did turn out to be an imposter. 

But the past was the past, and it could not be changed. There was no use to dwell on it too much for now. He knew he wouldn’t forget his long-gone friends anytime soon anyway. The two passed by the girls without saying a word, leaving them to finish their task uninterrupted.

Naegi and Byakuya passed O2 and Navigations, not so much as taking a glance at either room. There was nobody to talk to, nothing to see… so they passed by rather quickly. But then they had made it to Communications again.

Upon peeking their heads through the door, they could see Fujisaki… _somewhat_ hard at work. It looked more like he was idling about in his office chair, using his foot to slowly turn back and forth while Alter Ego downloaded something. Upon listening closer, one could hear him humming a tune he was making up in his head. Maybe now wasn’t a good time to disturb him.

Then again, Naegi still had a few questions about his supposed life as a student at Hope’s Peak. Alter Ego was the only thing that could give him some sort of answer. He wasn’t entirely sure if the amnesia argument was true, but given what they were all presented, it seemed plausible. “Can we ask Alter Ego a question?” Naegi whispered to Byakuya, who was staring down the computer at the edge of the room. Naegi’s question seemed to take him out of his thoughts, and he answered with a simple, “Okay.” 

Naegi was first to enter, with Byakuya trailing behind him. Fujisaki heard the two approach him, and he turned the office chair around to look at them. His face lit up as he saw who was there. “Oh! Hello, Naegi! Hello, Togami!” he greeted, a smile on his face. “Did you need something?”

“Actually, yeah,” Naegi started, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand. “I want to ask Alter Ego a question.”

“Oh! Sure!” Fujisaki said, turning back the computer. “But I have to warn you, it may take longer for him to respond than usual. I’m downloading him into your helmet right now to see if he’ll work in there.”

“Do you think we should leave it alone, then?” Naegi tilted his head as he asked the question. He knew that the A.I. wasn’t an actual person, but it was a damn good replica of one. He felt the need to ask about disrupting its work anyway. “I don’t know what’ll happen if we disturb it.”

“You should be fine,” Fujisaki answered, pushing himself and his chair to the side to make room for Naegi to use the keyboard. “Go ahead and talk to him!”

“Thanks.” Naegi let go of Byakuya’s hand, much to the latters chagrin, and began typing in the chat box. _Hello. It’s Naegi,_ he greeted, making his presence known to Alter Ego. The bar that was in the middle of the screen lowered, and Alter Ego appeared on top of it. “Hello, Naegi!” it greeted back, grinning. “It’s nice to see you again! What can I do for you?”

Yet again, a display of uncanny resemblance to Fujisaki shown by Alter Ego. He may never get used to that. He didn’t let that put him off from his goal, and he typed in his question. _Do you think we could see more pictures right now?_

Alter Ego took a moment to respond, just as Fujisaki had warned. It didn’t take too long, however, as the programme replied, “Sure! But I’m currently busy with downloading myself into your helmet, so it might take a minute. Do you want anything specific?”

_Yes please. Can you show any pictures of me?_

Alter Ego stalled for a couple seconds, presumably processing the question. Once it was done, it’s face lit up once again. “Sure thing! Give me _just_ a second!” Alter Ego’s head disappeared, but the bar remained in its place. Looking at it, it was nearly full. That must mean that Alter Ego’s work was almost completed. Good for it.

Just as before, four pictures were displayed on the screen, each one centred around Naegi. “Here you go!” Alter Ego exclaimed, remaining hidden from sight. “These were the best ones I could find!”

The collection of photographs weren’t too strange, but Naegi _was_ a bit creeped out. He didn’t remember taking any of them, but if they were left in their original state like Alter Ego stated of the photos before, he had no other choice but to believe they were authentic. But, enough about that. He had to look at them more than just with a quick glance.

The top photograph featured him, Byakuya, Kirigiri, and Celeste, all sitting at a lunch table. It was a rather odd group, considering the fact that he hadn’t spoken to neither Kirigiri nor Celeste much since he’d met them. But, considering that this was during his alleged school life, there was always the possibility of the four of them being friends.

On more of the physical aspects, it looked like their lunch table was near the back of the Cafeteria, situated near the window. In the corner of the photo, a glimpse of a few students he had never met were in the corner. But, since he didn’t know them, he didn’t pay much attention to them. 

Looking to the photo on the top right, it was him talking to Maizono in what looked to be their classroom. It seemed that, just as they had been on the ship, they were friends as well. That much could be deduced by the fact that that was the second photo of them together in Hope’s Peak. It was weird to think about, since they barely had time to get to know each other before Maizono had been ejected. Maybe he shouldn’t look at that one anymore; it was a bittersweet photo when put into retrospect, and he didn’t want his mood to sour too much.

The bottom left featured solely him and Byakuya, with the two somewhere outside of the main building. They were situated by a fountain, both sitting on the rim of it. They didn’t seem aware of the fact that their picture had been taken. Or, if they were, they didn’t really mind. They seemed to be talking about something, and they looked rather happy. It made Naegi wish that he remembered their time in Hope’s Peak, as he imagined it being exciting. And, he could tell from the photos, he was having the time of his life there.

If only he could have a taste of the life he never knew.

The last photo was of him and Byakuya once again, but this time it looked like they were walking out of the school together. He could tell by the setting, considering the fact that the school was behind them and the sky seemed a bit darker than it would be in the morning. Again, it looked like they weren’t too concerned with the camera, as they were in favour of looking at each other as they talked. And, upon closer inspection, it looked like they were… holding hands.

A direct parallel to how they do their walks around the ship. 

It was mostly implied that that was what was happening, considering the fact that half of their arms weren’t visible in the shot, but it was a good enough guess. And on top of that, it answered the question Naegi wanted answered.

They _did_ date before entering the ship. And they had managed to find their ways back to each other, by some sort of miracle.

It was kind of strange, learning that the two had been together before everything on the spaceship had happened. It filled Naegi with a type of comfort he couldn’t quite describe. He felt like, knowing what he knew now, Byakuya would always be on his side, no matter what happened to them. At least, he _hoped_ that was the case. He snapped himself out of his thoughts, and typed a response for Alter Ego. _Thank you._

“You’re welcome!” Alter Ego exclaimed, the pictures vanishing from sight. The progress bar that was previously on the bottom of the screen moved back up to the centre. Naegi backed up from the computer, making room for Fujisaki to take back his place at the keyboard. “Thanks, Fujisaki,” Naegi said. He felt it was necessary to thank Fujisaki for allowing him to use the computer again. “Oh— You’re welcome!” he replied in a similar fashion to Alter Ego. “If you need me, I’ll still be here!”

With that, the pair left Communications, resuming their walk, hand in hand.

“May I ask what that was about?” Byakuya questioned as soon as they were out into the hallway. Naegi guessed the other boy didn’t understand the implications of the photos. Either that, or he wasn’t paying too much attention. The smaller boy shrugged, and began explaining what he realized. “I mean, didn’t you see all the photos of us together? We were dating when we were at Hope’s Peak. At least, if us missing memories is real and everything.”

“...Ah.” Seemed like Byakuya _didn’t_ realize it, judging by his reaction. “I’m not superstitious or anything,” Naegi continued, not commenting on the supposed shock. Realization? It was one of those. “But I think we’re soulmates.”

“Soulmates, you say?” Byakuya didn’t immediately shoot down the idea, but he didn’t seem to buy it. “Well, we managed to find each other _once_ , right? And then we—“ Naegi cut himself off, deciding to choose his words carefully. He couldn’t say for certain if they were ‘in love’ so to speak at The Academy, so he wasn’t going to speak it out loud. “...And then we dated,” he finished the previous thought, determining that that was the best way to put it. “And _then_ we were put on this ship, and we didn’t remember each other. But now we’re dating again. It’s almost like we went full circle or something, y’know?”

Byakuya took Naegi’s words in with heavy consideration. He couldn’t say Naegi was wrong; if the amnesia theory was right, then history had managed to repeat itself. And maybe, just _maybe,_ Naegi was right. Only time could truly tell, however. Finally, Byakuya stated his answer. “I suppose you could be right,” he stated, nodding his head. “It’s a rather clique thing to say, but considering the given evidence, that may as well be the case.”

So Byakuya agreed with him. That was wonderful to hear, and he couldn’t say he wasn’t hopeful for his potential future with the boy next to him, along with everyone else residing on the ship with them.

That hope was shattered, however, when they turned the corner to enter the Lower Engine, and saw someone laying on the ground with a pool of red around them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MY ARRRTTTT. I LOVE DIRRRTT  
> (That’ll make sense later if you’ve seen the TikTok I promise)


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention this earlier but I got Chiaki in Identity V. Let me tell you how much fun it is to play as her because I am having a blast  
> Still hoping I can get either Junko or Makoto from the THH essence though, even though I’m probably gonna end up spending money to get them  
> Anyway Junko Enoshima, who’s true talent is the Ultimate Actress /hj

It was happening again. It couldn’t be. There shouldn’t— There shouldn’t be another murder.

Naegi and Byakuya rushed over to the body to determine who it was.

On the ground was none other than Ikusaba, face down with a shocked expression on her pale face. Naegi resisted the urge to scream at the sight, feeling sick to his stomach.

He knew there was bound to be another murder sometime, but why _now?_ Why so soon? And… He felt terrible. He barely knew Ikusaba, but she seemed… _kind of_ nice. “What do we do?” he choked out, trying not to let out a sob, or yelp, or _anything._ “Simply put,” Byakuya started, trying to conceal his own shock. “We call a meeting about it.”

“B-But…”

“But what? That’s what we’ve done whenever we’ve discovered a body, correct? That’s what we shall do now.”

“But how will we tell Enoshima?” 

Naegi made it known that he wasn’t the biggest fan of Enoshima, despite thinking she’s somewhat pretty, but what will she do once she finds out Ikusaba had been murdered? He couldn’t bear to think about what it could do to her. Imagining himself in the same position, he knew he wouldn’t take it well in the slightest. “She’d find out eventually,” Byakuya dismissed, pulling Naegi by his hand to bring him to the Cafeteria. “That’s the least of our worries. We just need to find out who did it and be over with it.”

While Naegi didn’t like how Byakuya was handling the situation, he had to agree. Once they find out who commit the murder, and subsequently, who the imposter was, everything would be all over. Probably. He wasn’t entirely sure what would happen once they caught the final imposter. 

Once they entered the Cafeteria, the two found that Asahina and Oogami were headed towards the button as well, with the former looking nauseated. “Asahina, what’s wrong?” Naegi called out, now being the one to pull Byakuya to the table. “Did something happen?”

Oogami decided to speak for the girl as she pressed the button to call the meeting. “It appears that Ishimaru has been killed,” she stated, bowing her head in a display of silent grief. “Wh-What?”

“He— Someone killed him!” Asahina shouted, looking panicked. “The imposter killed him!”

“How could— Wait—“ Naegi stuttered, unsure of how to process the information. First it was Ikusaba, and now it was Ishimaru? This didn’t make any sense to him. _Nothing_ made sense on this god forsaken ship. “That’s rather strange,” Byakuya commented, taking his place at the meeting table. Naegi hesitantly followed, placing himself next to the taller male. “We just found Ikusaba’s corpse as well.”

“Ikusaba is dead?!” 

“It appears so, yes.”

“That’s horrible!” Asahina cried, mortified at the fact that not one, but _two_ bodies had been discovered simultaneously. Oogami had her fair share of visible shock displayed as well. “Who could do such a thing?!”

“It will be okay,” Oogami stated, tossing her own worry away and placing a hand on Asahina’s shoulder to offer some semblance of comfort. “I’m sure we’ll be able to find out who did this.”

“Y-Yeah!” Naegi agreed, though he seemed unsure of himself. He just wanted to offer a bit of hope to the group, despite not having a clue of who it could be. “Oogami’s right, we’ll definitely find the imposter!”

The rest of the remaining students filed into the Cafeteria, each with a different level of concern on their features.

The group was so small compared to their number when they arrived. There were only seven of them, contrasting the initial sixteen. It was awfully sad to look at, let alone think about. “What happened?” Kirigiri asked as she took her spot between Fujisaki and Byakuya. “Ikusaba and Ishimaru were murdered,” Oogami replied, her voice calmer than Naegi could ever hope to have his. He didn’t know _how_ she could be as calm as she was in this situation; every time a body was discovered, he felt hopelessly ill. “Ikusaba?” Enoshima questioned, her eyes widening. “As in, my big sister Ikusaba Mukuro?”

“I’m afraid so,” Oogami replied, looking directly at Enoshima. “I offer you my condolences. I cannot imagine what it must be like to lose a loved one.”

There were a couple sniffles elicited from Enoshima. Then, just a moment later, there was a flood of tears pouring from her eyes. “Mukuro!” she cried, her voice breaking as she sobbed. “My dear sister Mukuro! Who could do such a thing to you!?” She let a few audible sobs escape her before her eyes widened again, this time glassed with tears. “I know who did it!” she yelled, standing up and slamming her hands on the table. The gesture started the more fragile of the bunch, namely Fujisaki, Naegi, and Asahina. Enoshima pointed at who she allegedly believed to be the culprit.

Her finger landed on Naegi.

“It was Naegi! Naegi killed my sister!” she screeched, her teary eyes filled to the brim with fiery hatred. “What!?” Naegi exclaimed, shocked at the sudden allegation. “I know he did! He killed Mukuro!” Enoshima fell back into her seat and cried out again, “Oh, Mukuro?! Why would you let him do this to you?!”

“That’s absurd,” Byakuya spat, immediately coming to Naegi’s defense. “How could he have possibly killed someone? He was with _me_ the entire time.”

“You’re covering for him!” Enoshima claimed, taking her helmet off to wipe away the tears flowing from her cheeks. It seemed like her mascara was running down with the aforementioned tears, and every time she wiped them, the mascara smeared across her cheeks. “Just because you were with him doesn’t mean he didn’t do it!”

“And what evidence do you have to back this up? Makoto wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone a _person._ You’re being irrational.”

“No I’m not!” Enoshima continued, while also smearing her makeup further. “Mukuro had a crush on him! He could’ve easily lured her somewhere to kill her!”

“I— What? Slow down, you’re not making sense!” Naegi said, confusion evident in both his features and his voice. “Why would I do it!? I don’t understand where you’re getting this from!”

“Before the argument derails, I’d like to ask a question,” Kirigiri interrupted, attempting to gain the attention of the other remaining students. “Why were you—“ she looked at Enoshima specifically, an eyebrow raising at her. “—and Ikusaba away from each other? You two were almost always together; practically indivisible by the looks of it. Why the sudden separation?” Before Enoshima could respond, Kirigiri continued. “And it seems rather odd that the one time you split up, one of you ends up dead.”

“It’s because we were doing our tasks!” Enoshima blubbered, her sobs not subsiding. That was to be expected, since she _did_ just learn that her sister was dead, but it was sort of hard to understand her. “I had to do the download task in Electrical! You guys know how long it is! So I told Mukuro she should do her own tasks while I wait!”

“A fair argument,” Kirigiri stated, internally analyzing the testimony. “However, I’m sure you two would be aware of the risks of splitting up, wouldn’t you?”

“We didn’t think anything would happen! Oh, Mukuro, how much of a fool I’ve been to let you go alone!”

“U-Um, I’m sorry for interrupting,” Fujisaki started, stuttering his words in fear of being a bother. “But Ishimaru died too, right? We need to focus on him too, I think…”

Enoshima’s cries were gone in an instant. The blonde looked to the boy with a neutral expression on her face, all hints of despair ceasing. “Who cares about _that_ freak?” she asked, her features and speech sounding nothing short of bland and disinterested. “Nobody liked him anyway.”

“You shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, Enoshima,” Oogami advised, disapproval clear in her looks. “That is rather disrespectful.” Enoshima stared back at Oogami for a moment, before erupted into tears again. “Naegi, how could you?! First you kill my sister, _then_ you kill Ishimaru?! How cruel!”

“Yeah, Naegi!” Asahina added, suddenly on Enoshima’s side. Why did she switch so quickly? This whole debacle was confusing Naegi more as it progressed. “That’s so mean of you!”

“Where are you even getting all this?!” Naegi combatted, concerned for where this conversation was going. “I didn’t kill them! I never even saw them while we were walking around!”

“I suggest we _don’t_ listen to Enoshima,” Byakuya said, rolling his eyes as the girl continued to cry. “She obviously doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

“You don’t know that,” Kirigiri said, furrowing her brows as she continued analyzing the ongoing argument. “She _could_ be onto something. It’s best that we explore every possibility given, no matter how far fetched they may be.”

“You’ve _got_ to be kidding me. She’s making a random guess! She’s very clearly _not_ in her right mind!”

“While I don’t think Naegi did it, Kirigiri is right,” Oogami added. It was hard to tell whose side she was on, considering her neutral expression and near-neutral words. “Before drawing a conclusion, we should examine each possibility we are given.”

“This is ridiculous,” Byakuya muttered, pushing his glasses up farther on his face. “Makoto and I were together the entire time. In fact, we’ve been together throughout the entire duration of our time on this ship. Would I not be as, if not _more_ suspicious as he is?”

“‘Kuya, what are you doing?” Naegi turned to Byakuya, tugging on the latters arm. “You’re incriminating yourself!”

“Am I wrong?” he retorted, not looking back at Naegi. “Tell me, Enoshima, would I not be guilty as well?”

“A fair point,” Kirigiri commented, tapping her chin as she took that statement into account. “I don’t see why either of you would murder in front of each other. I see no reason for it.”

“I know why!” Enoshima shouted, anger now coursing through her veins. Her words were filled to the brim with venom, leaving nothing but malice in them. “You’re covering for him! You know he did it but you don’t want him to die!”

“For what reason, exactly, would I help a murderer?” Byakuya countered, raising an eyebrow at the woman. “I’m defending him because I know for a fact that he _isn’t_ one.”

“Exactly!” Naegi added, trying to take Enoshima’s accusations off of himself. “There’s no point! Stop saying it’s me!”

“Oh, Mukuro!” Enoshima cried out, once again beginning her sobs of despair. “How I miss my dear big sister Mukuro!” She slammed her hand on the table and pointed at Naegi once more. Her tears did not stop, and they rolled down her cheeks. “Naegi killed her! Naegi killed my big sister!”

“Enough of this!” Byakuya shouted back, now standing in a similar manner to Enoshima. He must’ve finally lost his patience with her. “You have no proof whatsoever of _any_ of this! It’s all speculation! Fallacy! A haphazard attempt to blame Makoto for something he didn’t do!”

“No, no, _no_!” Enoshima yelled, standing straight up with her hands clenched into fists. She now seemed frustrated. Tears still fell from her eyes as she continued on. “Naegi killed her, I’m sure of it! Like I said, Mukuro had a crush on him! He could’ve lured her somewhere and killed her!”

“Your accusations are as empty as your head! There’s nothing to prove this!”

Wait a second— There _was_ a way to prove all of this. And Naegi knew just what it was. “No, that’s wrong!” he intervened, standing up as well. “The security cameras can prove it! They can prove that I didn’t do it!”

“That’s true,” Kirigiri agreed, nodding her head. Unlike the three who were arguing, she remained seated. “I myself cannot corroborate, but I’m sure someone else was in Security watching the cameras.”

“I was in Communications the entire time,” Fujisaki piped up, timidly raising his hand to call attention to himself. “So I wasn’t the one in there.”

“Uh, me and Sakura were in Weapons before we found Ishimaru in O2,” Asahina added on, looking somewhat sad that she couldn’t be of use. “This is true,” Oogami stated, nodding her head. “Asahina had to clear the asteroids around the ship.”

“I was in the Reactor,” Kirigiri claimed. “I was unlocking the manifolds.”

“If it helps, me and ‘Ku— Sorry, Byakuya were taking a walk around the ship,” Naegi stated, sitting back down. He attempted to ignore Byakuya and Enoshima’s intense stare down next to him. “We stopped by Communications for a bit before circling around and finding Ikusaba’s body.”

“Fujisaki?” Kirigiri looked to Fujisaki for confirmation, and the latter was swift to respond. “That’s right!” he said, nodding his head quickly. “Naegi came to see some of the photos of himself in Hope’s Peak!”

“That leaves _you_ ,” Byakuya spat, glaring daggers at Enoshima. “Go on, tell us where _you_ were.” Enoshima rubbed her eyes, yet again smearing her mascara all over her face. She hiccuped a couple times before answering the question. “I said this already, I was in Electrical,” she said, putting her head in her hands. “I had to download the data.”

“And how do we know you’re not lying?” Byakuya continued, his glare hardening. He must be determined to catch a lie from her. “How do we know _you_ didn’t kill both Ikusaba _and_ Ishimaru, and hid in Electrical to give yourself an alibi?”

“Y-You think she would kill her own sister?” Fujisaki questioned, stuttering as his eyes widened. “Why would she do that?”

“Yeah, Togami! That’s such a horrible thing to say!” Asahina scolded, quick to back up Fujisaki’s statement. “Who would kill their own sister!?”

“An imposter sure would,” Byakuya claimed, his own hands clenching into fists as the argument progressed. “Makoto had nothing to do with either case. Shut up and quit accusing him.”

Enoshima sniffled. She sniffled _again._ After the third one, her sobs began once again. “It’s not fair!” she cried, visibly shaking. “I’m sure of it! I’m sure Naegi killed her!”

“This entire discussion is idiotic, enough of it already.”

“He did it! Naegi killed Mukuro!” Byakuya rolled his eyes in annoyance, a groan escaping his lips. “Will you _shut_ _up_? You’re extremely annoying.”

“You’re just covering for him because you’re in love with him!”

The entire room fell silent as all eyes landed on Byakuya. Most were surprised at Enoshima’s claim; and if not her claim, it was her audacity to say it. Asahina’s hand was over her mouth, Fujisaki’s eyes widened, Oogami’s eyebrows raised in shock, Kirigiri remained more or less the same, and Enoshima’s eyes darted from one student to another, revelling in each of their reactions. But then there was Byakuya.

Byakuya’s eyes were wide in horror, and his mouth was agape. All colour had left his face, leaving him pale from shock. He slowly sat back down, his mouth closing as he did so, and he didn’t reply back. He looked down at the table, attempting to avoid everyone’s gazes. He wouldn’t even look down towards Naegi. “‘Kuya…?” 

Even with Naegi tugging at his arm, Byakuya refused to look down. It seemed as if he was trying his best to ignore everyone; or, more specifically, he was trying to avoid _Naegi_ and his response. He could understand his wariness to face him, but it still hurt. “See?! He’s not denying it!” Enoshima shouted, her anger quickly returning as she began pointing towards Byakuya. “He knows Naegi did it! He knows Naegi killed my sister!”

“Togami, you can’t let your emotions control you in this type of situation,” Kirigiri said, crossing her arms as she looked at the blond with disapproval. “If you know something that _we_ don’t, say it.”

“There’s nothing to say,” Togami muttered, his voice barely loud enough to be audible. “Makoto didn’t do it.” He grit his teeth as he paused for a moment, before continuing with, “It’s rather funny that you should say that, considering you’re believing a hysteric girl with barely any evidence against someone who can back up his alibi.”

While Byakuya and Kirigiri began an argument against each other, the others looked to Enoshima to scold her on her actions. “With all due respect, Enoshima, that was uncalled for,” Oogami stated, facing the blonde in question. “You should not speak for him, or anyone, regarding their feelings.”

“I agree,” Fujisaki added, ringing his hands together in nervousness. “I-I don’t think that was very nice of you either.”

“I don’t care! I don’t need to be nice to someone protecting my sister’s killer!”

There was no use in watching either argument unfold before him. Naegi chose which one to intervene in.

“‘Kuya!” he called out, tugging Byakuya’s arm harder than before. Byakuya stopped his debate with Kirigiri over the comparisons of his and Enoshima’s emotions, hesitantly turning his head to look down at Naegi. Once the two had locked eyes, Naegi asked, “Is it true?” One of his hands slid down to intertwine with Byakuya’s. “Do you really love me?”

Byakuya took a shaky breath, taking a moment to respond to the question. His gaze broke, and he looked down to the table as he quietly answered. “I’m sorry you couldn’t hear it from me first.”

Naegi’s eyes widened at the indirect confession, and he could feel his face heating up. Now was not the time to be disclosing their affection to each other, but it still made his heart race at hearing that his feelings were, indeed, returned. He just wished that they weren’t revealed… like _this._ “Interesting,” Kirigiri started, breaking Naegi’s train of thought. “Knowing all of this, I think we can deduce that you _are_ withholding information from us.”

“Hold on, this has nothing to do with it!” Naegi countered, his hold on both Byakuya’s arm _and_ hand tightening. He could feel Byakuya’s hand, almost as if on instinct, squeeze back. “We were nowhere near Ikusaba _or_ Ishimaru before they were found! We didn’t even see them before finding Ikusaba!”

“Simply put, it could be a self report on your part,” Kirigiri pressed. She now seemed convinced that he was the last imposter. “You say you were walking around together when you found Ikusaba, correct? You very easily could’ve killed Ishimaru, left as if nothing had happened, and killed Ikusaba when you saw that she was alone. And, do tell us if anyone else saw you walk around. It would help you greatly if someone did.”

“I—“ Truth be told, he wasn’t sure if anyone had seen them. He knew they saw Asahina and Oogami in Weapons, but he didn’t know whether or not the girls had noticed them. And, they entered Communications to speak to Alter Ego, with Fujisaki in the room. But... other than that, nobody else came to mind. “No…” he answered, eyebrows furrowing as he attempted to think of other ways to prove his innocence. Before thinking too deeply, he added, “That doesn’t mean that _I_ did it, though!”

“Just admit that you killed her already!” Enoshima began her act again, sobbing and pointing at Naegi as she spoke. “Admit that you killed my sister!”

“I’m not admitting to something I didn’t do!” Naegi let out a groan in frustration, and put his head into his free hand, said hand gripping a fistful of hair. “Doesn’t anyone see how weird this is?! Enoshima never participates in these discussions to be useful, she does it to antagonize everyone! And she always likes to watch us all argue! But suddenly when Ikusaba is dead, she automatically accuses _me_ of murdering her?! It doesn’t make any sense!”

“Perhaps if you had someone unbiased to corroborate your story—“ Kirigiri started, before being ultimately cut off by Naegi. “‘Ku— Byakuya isn’t biased, he was with me! He was with me the whole time! That’s it!” Kirigiri gave him a look of disapproval, not happy that she had been interrupted mid sentence. “While he may have been with you, that doesn’t mean he couldn’t be hiding the fact that you did it.”

“But I _didn’t_ do it! And how could we be sure that Enoshima didn’t do it either?! She was alone, not me!”

“That’s what an imposter would say!” Enoshima shouted, the venom returning in her voice. “Trying to blame _me_ for my own sister’s death— How could you?!”

“You’re just as capable of murdering her as the rest of us are!”

“Puhuhuhu!” Suddenly, the tablets arose from the table as the group heard Monokuma’s chillingly playful laugh. “I’m getting a bit bored of waiting!” the bear claimed, it’s unsettling smile boring it’s way through the participants’ souls. “So, if you would be so _kind_ , cast your votes now!”

“Wait, we haven’t reached a conclusion!” Naegi shouted at the bear, his eyes widening in fear. “We can’t vote yet!”

“Sure you can!” Monokuma teased as the voting screen appeared. “Just hit the name of who you think did it! And be quick about it, because now there’s a time limit!”

The time limit was not a jest; looking down in the bottom right of the screen, there was a counter counting down from exactly two minutes. “Choose wisely!”

“We can’t! We haven’t— We don’t have enough evidence!”

Before anyone could interject, Enoshima furiously tapped her finger on the tablet screen, casting her vote. “I know you did it!” she screeched, her entire body tense with anger. “I know you killed Mukuro! You did it!”

“I have to admit, the court is not in your favour,” Kirigiri said, casting her own vote as well. “It would be a miracle for you _not_ to be the imposter.”

“Wait! Can’t we just skip it?! We— We can’t vote yet!”

“Makoto,” Byakuya interrupted, placing a hand on Naegi’s shoulder. Naegi’s head snapped up to look at him, terror building up inside him as he heard each ding come from the tablets on the table. “You and I both know you didn’t do it.” Byakuya’s eyes narrowed, looking over at Enoshima. “Enoshima, however, I’m sure _did_.” He shook his head and took his hand off of Naegi’s shoulder. “Just do what you believe to be right.”

Byakuya was right. There couldn’t be anybody else that could murder Ikusaba, other than Enoshima. Without a second thought, Naegi cast his vote, being the last of the group to do so. Then, the icons popped up.

Naegi and Byakuya voted for Enoshima. Fujisaki and Oogami voted to skip. 

And Enoshima, Kirigiri, and Asahina voted for Naegi.

“Puhuhuhu!” They heard Monokuma laugh, though he didn’t appear on screen. “What a despairingly _wonderful_ choice! Did you pick the right one? Or the dreadfully wrong one? Oh, I can’t wait to find out!” The voting screen disappeared, leaving a message Naegi had never wanted to see.

_Naegi Makoto has been found guilty!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, you’re awake! Well, your teeth are finished and, um—  
> Oh. OH. WHERE’S MY DICK AT????? WHERE—


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, class, ummmm this is kind of OOC but it’s 2am, I’m upset, I’m not gonna fix anything  
> Can we just pretend this is a mesh of the reactions of trial 4 for Togami and trial 5 for Naegi? Thanks  
> Despair and panic are a crazy thing

“Y-You guys voted for me…?” Naegi whispered, a mix of disbelief and betrayal whirring inside of him. He stared down in horror at the tablet displaying the message, hardly able to believe what it read. “Wh… Why would you…”

He couldn’t believe it. They all thought _he_ did it. Naegi didn’t know what to say, as he was stunned silent by the ruling. “Sorry, Naegi,” Asahina said, being the first to speak after the verdict was called. She rubbed her arm with a look of remorse on her face as she continued with, “They made a convincing argument.”

“If it makes you feel better, I don’t think you did it,” Fujisaki said, though his attempt at consolation fell flat. “I think you’re completely innocent.”

“As do I,” Oogami added, bowing her head as she crossed her arms. 

Enoshima’s crying ceased, and looking up, she seemed rather pleased with herself. Perhaps her plan was to vindicate Naegi and continue her act of innocence just so she didn’t get caught. 

The look made Naegi want to vomit. 

On the other hand, there was Kirigiri, who remained silent without a word to express any condolences. Finally, he slowly looked up to see how Byakuya took this.

Byakuya’s face had paled, more so than when he had been outed by Enoshima. His breathing seemed to go uneven, and it almost looked like he was _terrified_. “No,” he muttered, staring at his own tablet with disbelief. “No, that— That can’t be…” His voice slightly cracked as he continued with, “That can’t be right. There’s— There’s no way…”

“Why would you— Why would vote for me?!” Naegi cried out, putting his head in his hands while trying to stop himself from crying. “I don’t— I don’t want to die!”

“You should!” Enoshima shouted, pointing her finger yet again as— now angry— tears slid down her cheeks. “You killed my big sister!”

“Idiots,” Naegi heard Byakuya murmur, with the taller boy attempting to keep his composure. “You’re all _idiots._ ” Naegi hiccuped as he saw the look on Byakuya’s face. 

A look of pure and unbridled despair. 

Tears began pooling in Naegi’s eyes as he tugged on the other male’s arm, trying to gain his attention again. “‘Kuya?” he called out weakly, his attempt failing. Byakuya glared at the others— mostly Enoshima— and added, “If you’re going to vote off innocent men, you might as well come for _me_ next.” He then diverted his gaze to Naegi, and the latter could _feel_ the former’s heart break. “Makoto,” he said, gently placing a hand on Naegi’s cheek as the smaller boy's tears began to fall. Just a while ago, he seemed mortified at the thought of making his feelings known. But now, he seemed to lose the will to care. 

Naegi hiccuped again, moving his hand to rest on top of Byakuya’s. “I don’t want to die, ‘Kuya,” he whimpered, finding that it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to breathe.”I-I don’t want— I don’t want to die…”

“I know you don’t,” Byakuya replied, wiping away the stray tears that trailed down Naegi’s cheek. “I don’t want you to either.”

“Now I feel kind of bad,” Asahina commented, leaning towards Oogami as they all watched the scene unfold. Oogami hummed with a simple nod of agreement. “It is a touching display of affection, yes,” Kirigiri added, standing up. “However, we should not let it deter us from the fact that Naegi has been declared guilty. I suggest we eject him before it becomes too hard.”

“That works for me!” Enoshima sprung up from her seat, trotted to Naegi and Byakuya, and pulled the former away from the latter. “Come on, Naegi! It’s punishment time!” She exclaimed, throwing Naegi over her shoulder with a smile on her face. 

Where did her grief and sorrow go? Where was her despair? Was it all just an act? Her quick switch in demeanour solidified in Naegi’s mind that she was the last imposter, just as Byakuya had said. But that’s the least of his worries for now; he had to find a way out of his execution.

“Wait, no!” Naegi cried, trying to push himself out of Enoshima’s grip. She was surprisingly strong for a person of her build and stature. “I’m not ready yet! Don’t do this, _please_!”

“Get your filthy hands off of him!” Byakuya demanded, getting up out of his seat and rushing to Naegi and Enoshima. Naegi reached out to the other male as he desperately struggled against Enoshima’s gasp. Enoshima simply hummed a tune as she continued walking, dismissing the commotion happening behind her. “Oogami, restrain him,” Kirigiri ordered, gesturing towards Byakuya in particular. Byakuya had managed to reach the two, now doing his best to free Naegi as well. Despite his strength, his attempts weren’t working either. “We shouldn’t let him interfere.”

“Understood,” Oogami said, nodding her head as she got up to pull Byakuya away from Naegi. “Forgive me for this, Togami.”

“Don’t you _dare_ touch me, you vile excuse of a woman!” Byakuya warned, snapping his head back to glare daggers at Oogami. “I swear, if you even lay a _hand_ on me—“

“My apologies,” Oogami stated, pulling Byakuya away by the collar of his suit. Her arms looped through his armpits, and she lifted him up as her arms folded upwards. “But Kirigiri is right. You can’t interfere with the ejection.”

“Unhand me!” Byakuya shouted, now trying to kick his way out of Oogami’s grasp. “Unhand me this instant!” His attempts at freedom were futile, as Oogami was much stronger than him, and her hold didn’t budge.

As the group entered the ejection room, Fujisaki suddenly gasped. “Wait!” he called before Enoshima could throw Naegi behind the unlowered glass barrier. “He doesn’t have his helmet!”

“Does it really matter if he has his helmet?” Asahina asked, trailing behind the remaining students. “He’s going to die anyway, right? Why does it matter if he has his helmet or not?”

“O-Oh, um…” Fujisaki stuttered, trying to think of a quick answer. His eyes widened as he thought of an excuse. “Because all the other imposters had their helmets on! It would only be fair if Naegi had his too!” Enoshima groaned, holding onto Naegi so he couldn’t escape. “Ugh, if it makes you happy, I _guess_ ,” she stated, turning away from the ejection door to stare down Fujisaki. “I’ll be back quickly, I promise!”

“Just— Just let me go already!” Naegi pleaded, his struggles not subsiding. Why couldn’t Enoshima— or _anyone_ for that matter— see that he was innocent?! He would never kill anyone, and he _wasn’t_ an imposter! “Please! I didn’t do it! You have to believe me!”

“That’s enough,” Kirigiri stated, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at Naegi. “There’s overwhelming evidence that you’re the culprit. And even then, you were voted guilty. Your attempts to escape wouldn’t work anyway.”

“This is ridiculous!” Byakuya yelled. Naegi could see him thrash against Oogami’s grip, with the girl barely being affected. “You’re all imbeciles! He didn’t kill either of them!”

Seeing as he wasn’t going to free himself from Enoshima’s grasp anytime soon, Naegi called, “‘Kuya! Do something!”

“Can’t you see that I’m trying?!” Byakuya answered, now trying to _push_ himself off of Oogami. “Let go already! He’s innocent!”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Togami,” Oogami stated, looking at him with an apologetic look on her face. “We must carry out his ejection.”

“We _can’t_ do that! He’s innocent!”

“Sorry, I’m back!” Fujisaki called out, running back to rejoin the group with Naegi’s helmet in his hand. “I have it!”

“Great!” Enoshima said, her face brightening. “Give it to him and then we can get this show on the road!” Fujisaki ran up to Naegi and handed him his helmet. Then, he got up to Naegi’s ear and whispered, “Press the map button twice. That’ll activate Alter Ego. He’s gonna try and help you survive.” He backed up immediately after saying that and added, “Okay, you can put him in now.”

“No!” Naegi and Byakuya cried out simultaneously as Enoshima threw Naegi towards the ejection door. Before Naegi could stand up, the glass barrier fell, separating him from the rest of the group. He grabbed his helmet, secured it to his suit, then ran up to the glass and began banging, a final, desperate attempt to stop his ejection. “Don’t do this! I’m innocent!” he cried, tears now flowing freely down his cheeks. “Please! I didn’t do it!”

“Makoto!” Byakuya called out, now trying to reach out as he struggled against Oogami. “Don’t leave me! I need you!”

This was too much. It was all just _too much_ . Finally, after trying his best to hold it all in, Naegi broke. Sobs began escaping him as his bangs on the glass increased in both strength and frequency. “‘Kuya!” he cried, his body racking with sobs. “ _Please! Help me!_ ”

“This is so boring,” Enoshima commented, walking over to the ejection lever. “I say it’s punishment time!” Before she placed her hand on the lever, however, she stated, “But, just for fun, I’ll let you have your last words.”

“Damnit— Makoto, can you hear me?!” Byakuya cried out, still thrashing to free himself of Oogami. Naegi shouted back, “Yes!” Both of Naegi’s palms were on the glass, as that was the closest he could get to reaching Byakuya. “I love you!”

Naegi froze where he stood, eyes widening as his tears continued to fall. He— He _loved_ him. He thought he would never hear him say it. Wait— He doesn’t have time to reflect on this. “I love you too!” he yelled back. 

Without a second to spare, Enoshima pulled the lever with a grin on her face, and Naegi was sucked into space. She left no room for reactions, wanting to get rid of him as soon as she possibly could.

And, the last thing Naegi saw was Byakuya’s panicked face, staring back at him as he disappeared.

-

He was gone. He was really, truly gone.

Togami could only stand and stare at the spot where Makoto had once stood, unable to move anywhere else. Oogami had freed him the moment Enoshima pulled the lever, leaving him on his own two feet. 

His own two feet that could barely handle standing anymore, as he felt like he would collapse at any moment. 

But none of that mattered anymore. _Makoto was gone._ And with him went any hope that Togami had had, leaving him alone with nothing but despair.

He couldn’t be bothered to look at the others, or the glass for that matter, as the final verdict was displayed. He already knew what it said, and he already knew what his classmates’ reactions were. They were probably reading it with horror, realizing the grave mistake they had committed.

**Naegi Makoto was not an imposter. 1 imposter remaining.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuck it. [Here’s the meme, it’s a link.](https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJs4ujSf/)  
> Listen the video is just really funny to me okay  
> Anyway, protag Togami protag Togami


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Sorry for the late update today, I went out. But like BFNJFKGKG this chapter is so short I should’ve posted it earlier  
> Anyway fun fact, at the end I originally referenced Sonic Adventure 2. You’ll know when you get there but. I really think I’m funny  
> Anyway, last thing, if you see me on IDV, say hi! My usernames ShutUpKevin and I play as Chiaki  
> No, I didn’t know the cowboys name was Kevin. Don’t make that joke

“He was— He was innocent?”

Asahina was the first to speak, her voice trembling as she and the others stared up at the glass. “But— How could he—“

“I tried to tell you,” Togami murmured, his voice desolate and low. “But none of you would listen to me.”

“A rather fatal error,” Oogami stated, her voice in its typical monotonous timbre. “I can offer nothing more than my condolences.”

Why was she pretending to care? Maybe, if she didn’t hold Togami back, he could’ve saved him. He could’ve found a way to do it, had she not held him back. In fact, the faux empathy radiating from the others was nothing short of sickening. “Come on, we can’t keep moping around,” Enoshima said, dismissing the event as per usual. “We need to go back to doing our tasks or whatever.”

That woman’s voice was like nails on a chalkboard. It was grating— _ear-bleeding_ , even. Togami couldn’t stand her before, but after what she did to Makoto, he just wanted to wrap his hands around her neck and strangle her. 

He heard her walk away first, supposedly to fake doing another task. 

“She’s probably right.” That was Kirigiri. The one campaigning to execute Makoto the most, right behind Enoshima. Of course she would brush him off; she didn’t care about anyone or _anything_ other than herself. Togami heard her leave the room too, with the others following suit soon after.

Togami, however, couldn’t find it in himself to move away. Once he was left alone— or, that was just presumption; he wasn’t going to check— he slowly walked up to the glass barrier. It hadn’t risen back up yet; it’s mechanics probably prompted it to raise once the room had been completely cleared.

Gently, he placed his hand where he knew Makoto’s had been, right before he’d been ejected. His mind repeated over and over the moments before he’d been swept away, the moments before he’d been _killed_. There he was, with his hands pressed against the glass, staring wide-eyed at Togami as the taller male declared his love for him. And without a moment to spare, he’d shouted back that he loved him too. And then he was gone.

And the scene began again. There was Makoto. Then he was gone. An endless cycle of torture. An endless loop of despair.

“I’m sorry,” he spoke, his voice lowered down to nothing but a whisper. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop them, Makoto.” He tilted his head down, now staring at the floor. His forehead touched the painfully cool glass, which he didn’t spare a second thought towards. “It shouldn’t have been you.”

Togami wondered what would’ve happened if the time limit wasn’t set and Enoshima hadn’t outright accused Makoto at the start of the discussion. Would he have lived to see another day? Or would he still end up falling, being chosen to die as if he were the true murderer? He would’ve much rather preferred the former; but he already knew firsthand that life could never be as fair as he wanted it to be.

There had to be something for him to do. There had to be a way for him to avenge Makoto and let his sacrifice mean _something_. His death could not be in vain. 

But he wouldn’t think of a solution just yet. He wanted time to think. 

Not just think, he needed time to process and grieve.

Of course, he knew letting go of Makoto wouldn’t be— or couldn’t ever be, for that matter— easy. Losing Makoto was like losing the world. An apocalypse, if you will. It was like a land so dismal and bleak that no man would want to reside in it any longer. 

That was the world now. A Makoto-less world that Togami would have to suffer through. 

They’d only known each other for a short while, but as Makoto had implied before, there was some sort of connection between them. A sort of… _soulmate_ connection, where the two would always find one another, no matter the circumstances. He’d felt it immediately upon meeting him, though he would never say such a thing out loud, and it _surprised_ him. 

He, Togami Byakuya, quickly becoming attached to some worthless nobody he barely knew. That didn’t sound like him at all, and yet that’s exactly what happened.

The more he thought about it, the more his heart ached. Makoto didn’t deserve what happened to him. He never deserved _any_ of it. 

Togami looked over at the ejection lever, though his body— sans his head— didn’t move. If he and Makoto were truly soulmates, perhaps he could speed up the process of their reunion. That would prove it, would it not? The offer became more enticing as he stared down at the lever. Maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to find a way to pull the lever while on the other side of the glass and—

 _No_. He couldn’t do that. Makoto would be against doing such a thing. He would tell him not to go through with it, and he’d tell him not to throw his life away. And, if he had more time to say the things he wanted to say, Togami had a feeling he’d tell him to live for the both of them. And despite that not being a promise he made while Makoto was alive, he was still going to keep it.

It’s what Makoto would’ve wanted.

Which means he should probably make haste and leave the ejection room. There was nothing more for him to do here; what’s done had been done, and there was nothing he could do about it. With a sigh escaping his lips, he removed his hand from the glass, and backed up. He turned to walk out of the ejection room, but before departing, he looked over his shoulder with one last thing to say.

“Goodbye, Makoto.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey :)  
> Salami  
> Hi!!  
> Give me back my HAMSTER  
> Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, chat, I’m gonna take my frustrations out on y’all  
> So I just wasted an hour of my life on V3. Had a wonderful UTDP run as Sonia, got to level 95 of Despair Dungeon, and when I try to create stuff for Despair Dungeon, my game crashes. Nothing was saved, all my progress is gone.  
> This game is stupid. V3 is stupid. I hate V3. Fuck V3. And fuck my shitty ass three year old non gaming laptop that doesn’t fucking work  
> I want to say I’ll never play it again, but I vowed to get all the achievements in all three games. And I already completed THH and GD, so I HAVE to do V3  
> Anyway I’m alleviating my anger by releasing chapters

Once entering the Cafeteria, Togami felt lost. He wasn’t sure what to do now that Makoto was gone. 

He _could_ sit at their usual table, but with just him, it felt empty. It felt empty when they had their fight and it was just him sitting there, and it would feel empty now, considering the fact that Makoto would never sit in his place again.

At the same time, however, he had nothing left to do. His tasks were long since completed, he didn’t want to talk to any of the imbeciles on this ship, and… really, there was nothing he could prove useful for.

He may as well sit at the table. There was nowhere else for him to go.

Once he had made his way to the table— a process that felt surreal in itself, like his body was moving on its own— he sat down at his place, staring down at Makoto’s empty seat. It didn’t feel right for it to be empty. It wasn’t _meant_ to be empty.

Looking around, _everything_ felt empty without Makoto. It wasn’t fair. Nothing about this entire situation was fair. 

Perhaps he should look out towards the stars. That’s what he did when he was alone at the table last time; it might help him again. Turning his head to the right, he looked out the window.

It seemed like the earth was in view at the moment. It, along with the small stars twinkling in the sky, was a rather beautiful sight. It was nothing short of breathtaking, and it slightly put him at ease. He’s sure Makoto would’ve liked the view.

And now he was thinking of Makoto again. 

He remembered when they were sitting in silence, watching the stars together after they had made up. He had been watching Makoto out of the corner of his eye, observing the smaller male as he looked on to the outside. The display seemed to enrapture him, the contrast of constellation after constellation against the pitch black void of the galaxy too intriguing to miss. The look on his face was so… serene. So peaceful. If only he could see it one more time.

Now he had to rely on his memory to show him… Or did he?

Technically, he could bother Fujisaki and ask to use his programme like Makoto had, but he feared that if he asked to see pictures of him— that he wasn’t entirely convinced to be real anyway— would send him spiraling down into some sort of breakdown.

And god damn him if he were to ever be caught crying in front of another living person. He’ll stick with his memory for now.

The real question to ask was what he was going to do now. There had to be something he could do rather than sit and grieve and be _useless_. Makoto would’ve wanted him to be productive, and possibly help out the rest of the students. He felt disgust at the thought of _helping_ those wretched fools, but Makoto was interested more in friendship rather than anything else.

And in an instant, one thing came into his head, a burst of determination running through his body and mind.

Prove that Enoshima Junko was the final imposter. He would do that for Makoto, even if it cost him his life. But how exactly would he do it?

Togami rapidly tapped his pointer finger on the table as his mind began thinking of ways to prove Enoshima’s guilt. There had to be _something_ incriminating against her that wasn’t just pure speculation that he could use, there _had_ to be. 

First, there was her disinterest of the discussions in general and her overwhelming enthusiasm. She was always excited when a murder happened, but wasn’t willing to discuss the possible suspects in the vicinity. She was, however, willing to eject whoever was accused of being guilty. That was rather suspicious.

Second, there was her incessant need to antagonize everyone— more specifically, him and Makoto— during said discussions, while also derailing the debate in the process. Who would do something like that? Of course, there was the possibility that she just wanted to make the debates more entertaining for herself for whatever reason, but in retrospect, what would she get out of that?

Third, there was the discussion that had just ended. Following an unfortunate amount of circumstances that _could’ve_ pointed to Makoto being the culprit, nobody would have voted for him if it weren’t for _her_. _She_ was the one pushing to blame Makoto. _She_ was the one who wanted him dead. _She’s the reason he was_ _dead_.

And thinking about what that cruel woman had done to him made Togami’s blood boil. His tapping increased as he felt his fury course through his veins; he wanted nothing more than to watch Enoshima suffer the same fate as Makoto.

She had it coming to her. Makoto, however, never deserved it.

It would be wonderful to watch Enoshima float away into the vastness of space, left to die with nowhere to go. To think of how she would react upon seeing herself declared as guilty, only to be ejected, only to never be seen again… How wonderful it would be to watch it all happen. And by God, he will _make_ it happen.

...He was getting off track. He needed to figure out how to accuse her of being the final imposter with more than baseless claims. The third reason he’d come up with— that of which everyone was present to witness in the first place— seemed like a solid thing to start with.

There had to be a motive to accusing _Makoto_ of all people of a crime he didn’t commit. Togami knew there had to be; there was no reason to target him just for fun. The only motive he could think of was that Enoshima was the imposter and didn’t want to be found out. She should’ve been a suspect anyway, she was alone for whatever reason and away from Ikusaba. That gave her a false alibi to where she was during the murder. And now his mind looped back to the discussion, the blame game she set up, the fake narrative—

Togami let out a frustrated sigh and put his head in his hands. He was resisting the urge to cry, or scream, or _anything_. He grabbed fistfuls of his hair and tugged, gritting his teeth to prevent an outburst of anger. This entire ordeal was _ridiculous_ and it didn’t need to happen.

His hands left his head, but remained upwards as he rested his chin on his now interwoven fingers. He had to avenge Makoto, but— Why was this giving him so much trouble?! Could he not just _think_ of something instead of bouncing from one point to another in rapid succession?! “Damnit!” he yelled out, quickly standing up and slamming his hands on the table. This shouldn’t be so difficult!

Togami groaned, rubbing his temples before letting out a sigh. He needed to calm down; such bitter outbursts were unlike him. But at the same time— The injustice, the unfairness, the pure _inhumanity_ of the last discussion set him on edge. And he couldn’t help but wonder why it _had_ to be Makoto. That’s all he could think about; _why was it Makoto?_

Perhaps he should go right to the source and ask. What a wonderful idea; why didn’t he think of it sooner? Togami left his place at the table, another goal set in his mind.

Find Enoshima Junko and get answers from her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t tell your mother  
> Kiss one another  
>  **DIE FOR EACH OTHER ******


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to preface this by saying yes, I’m aware of the OOC moments in this chapter. But that is okay. Despair is a crazy thing and it makes you do wack ass shit  
> It is currently 3am and I want to go to bed so I’m gonna post this and then go to bed goodnight

Togami knew that finding what he was looking for would be difficult, but not to the extent of _this._

He’d been searching the entire ship to track down Enoshima to no avail. He checked every room once, twice, _three_ times, and each round, she couldn’t be found. It was like she was purposely hiding; not from just anyone, but from Togami specifically.

Soon enough, he was going to throw a fit of some kind. And it took a lot to get him to act in such a childish manner.

Now he was on his fourth circle around the ship. Starting from the Upper Engine, going down to the Lower Engine, making his way around to Weapons, until eventually stopping in Administration. And each time, he came up empty handed.

This woman was getting under his nerves.

As he approached Electrical on his fourth run through, he felt fury begin to rise within him. This was a _painful_ procedure, endlessly searching for this girl he wanted nothing to do with. His wishes to be as far from her as possible had to be pushed aside if he wanted answers; they weren’t going to magically come to him through some sort of miracle.

As the back of Electrical came into view, he particularly noticed the scattered wires hanging down from the compartment of which they were exposed. Most were broken and unattached. Togami slowly made his way to them, a voice in the back of his head telling him to pull one out.

_Wouldn’t it be nice to watch Enoshima squirm beneath them? To watch her struggle, to watch her gasp for breath, as you squeezed the life out of her body? Wouldn’t it be nice to make her suffer?_

Oh, how it would be so _very_ nice to watch her choke under his grasp. He took hold of the blue wire, the longest one hanging down from the box, and pulled. It didn’t come out right away, so he pulled it again.

By god, he will get this wire out of this box and use it as he pleased. 

Tugging, tugging, _tugging_ — Tear. He managed to get it out of the box, strands of its core frayed out after breaking free from the wall. 

Perfect. 

He gripped the wire tightly with his right hand, now leaving Electrical to resume his search for Enoshima.

Looking down the hallway, nobody could be found. Looking into Communications, only Fujisaki was there, typing uselessly into the computer. Down the other hall, no one was there, in Navigations—

Bingo.

There she was, standing there like the menace she was. A hand on her hip, a tilt of her head, and most importantly, her back to the door. It seemed as if she appeared whenever she wanted to. But that wasn’t what was important. Perhaps if Togami could sneak up on her, he would be able to strike without a single fault.

Slowly but surely, wire in hand, Togami stepped into Navigations, doing his best not to make a sound. It seemed to be working, as Enoshima’s gaze didn’t break from the window.

What a wonderful coincidence that she didn’t have her helmet on. Togami didn’t think that he would get so lucky.

Right as he was about to make his move, Enoshima’s head tilted further down. “Y’know, I didn’t really take you for a guy who had a choking kink,” she said, a smirk forming on her lips. Togami could see the sly expression on her face from the—

He forgot about the reflective properties of the window. She probably could have seen him from the reflection on the glass.

Enoshima turned on her heel to face Togami, now with both hands on her hips. The condescending expression she wore, as if she were looking down upon him like he was some sort of _peasant._ He wanted to wipe that look right off her face. “I don’t blame you for trying to be kinky. I know I’m hot.”

“Be quiet,” Togami growled, glaring daggers at the girl in front of him. Everything about her made him _angry_. “Aw, why should I?” Enoshima asked, putting on a high pitched cutesy voice that grated his ears. “You obviously wanted to talk to me!” She put a hand over her mouth and giggled. Was she— Was she _mocking_ him?! “That’s why you showed up with that wire!”

“I’d hardly call this _talking_ ,” Togami answered, his glare not faltering. Any moment now, he could just strangle her and get it over with. But he had a feeling it wouldn’t be that easy. It was _never_ easy to do something like this, especially when the potential victim was staring straight at him and watching him with a patronizing glare. He grit his teeth, trying to harden his own glare. Enoshima simply smiled and did a twirl, humming a few notes as she did so. This seemed like a game to her; and for what reason? “For being a businessman, you’re pretty dumb,” she commented, her voice dropping down to its regular tone. “You think you know everything, but really, you know nothing!”

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” The audacity this woman had was astonishing. He wanted to tear it right out of her and spit in its face. “It means what it means, silly!” Enoshima did another twirl, then posed as she finished her thought. “You’re a moron!”

Audacity! He couldn’t believe what he was hearing! _He_ was the moron in this situation?! How dare she say something blatantly untrue! And to look so smug about it too— 

That was it. He couldn’t let this go anymore. Without a second thought, he swiftly took the wires into both of his hands and lunged at Enoshima, and in an instant, the girl's neck was pressed under his wire. Yet she didn’t look scared, or frightened, or anything of the sort. She looked like she was _enjoying_ it. “God, Togami!” she started, her words choking out as she gasped for breath. “You really know how to turn a girl on!”

Disgusting. Was she really getting off on her last moments alive? That was truly pitiful. Togami said nothing as he increased his pull on the wire. Enoshima’s despairing grin only widened at the motion. “Come on, pull harder!”

He wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of getting him to do what she wanted. She let out a strangled chuckle before adding, “Just kidding! But I h— I have to ask, don’t you want to know more about Naegi before you kill me?”

Now she was dangling information over his head in regards to Makoto to ensure her survival. A despicable tactic used by a despicable woman. Togami expected nothing less. 

And yet, he couldn’t pass up on the offer; knowing about _why_ she killed Makoto would give him some sort of… clarity, perhaps. Reluctantly, his grip on the wire lessened, and Enoshima fell to the ground, attempting to regain her breath. 

“Damn, you have a good grip,” Enoshima commented, gently placing her fingers on her neck for whatever reason. As she continued taking laboured breaths, she looked up at him with wild, widened eyes. A grin was on her face as she added, “Try doing that again sometime, _‘Kuya_!”

“Stop talking,” Togami stated, putting his foot down on Enoshima’s back to pin her to the floor. He narrowed his eyes at her as he added, “Don’t ever call me that again.”

“Why not?” Enoshima whined, putting on a pouty persona. “Naegi got to call you it!” Togami’s heel dug into her back, causing the girl beneath his foot to groan in pain. She smiled at the gesture, and Togami stopped. He refused to give Enoshima anything she wanted. “Tell me, Enoshima, why exactly did you decide to frame Makoto?”

“Didn’t you tell me to stop talking?” she teased, her feet kicking up in a playful manner. “That’s pretty hypocritical of you!”

Togami didn’t bother giving her jest a response. Instead, he commanded, “Answer the question.” Enoshima whined and propped her head in her hand, the aforementioned hand laying on her cheek. “You’re so mean,” she said, rolling her eyes. Her feet began swaying in the air as she kicked back and forth in a bored manner. “Nobody likes an info dump, y’know.”

“I’m not asking if you like it. I’m asking you _why you framed Makoto_.”

“That’s such a boring topic though. Ask me about something fun! Like magazines, or… whatever.”

“Answer. The. Question.” Togami repeated the action of digging his heel into Enoshima’s body, attempting to get her to speak about her crimes. “Boring!” Enoshima said again, now folding her arms and resting her chin on top of them. “Whatever! It’s because I thought it would be funny.”

...What? Because it would be… _funny?_ “Was his life a joke to you?!” Togami shouted, her apathy sending rage coursing through his veins. “You think murdering someone who did nothing wrong is funny?!” Enoshima giggled at his words, appearing to be drinking up his reaction. Her giggling soon evolved into laughter, which made Togami want to stomp on her until nothing but a corpse was left. “Yes!” she exclaimed between her fits of laughter. Togami could see the sheen of unshed tears in her eyes, her laughter overtaking her entire body.

His foot pressed down harder, and her laughter suddenly stopped. Her expression was back to neutral— bored?— and she sighed. “Come on. I know you’d frame somebody for murder too if you had the chance.”

“As if I could ever stoop to your level,” Togami muttered, his voice low and bitter. “Was that your only motivation?”

“That, and the fact that your reaction was priceless!” Enoshima answered with a fond smile. “You should’ve seen your face, Togami! It was so beautiful!” She sighed again, this time with a dreamy look on her face as she thought of Togami’s despair. “I’d do anything to see it again!”

“Would you, now?” Togami’s foot pressed down harder again, Enoshima’s presence angering him more. He just wanted her _dead_. Enoshima let out a chuckle, a grin forming once more. “Of course!” she replied, waving her hand as she answered. “It was so— Gh!” Enoshima let out a strangled noise as Togami repeated the motion of digging into her back. Her smile didn’t falter. “Don’t be like that, ‘Kuya—“

He did it again. “I told you not to call me that.”

“Fine, fine, _Byakuya_ —“

“Absolutely not.”

Enoshima rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. “Being a party pooper like always,” she muttered, now seeming disinterested. “Is your interrogation session over? I’m bored.”

“Your feelings in this situation hardly matter,” Togami stated, his glare hardening. “Did you have some sort of gripe with Makoto? Is that why you chose _him_?”

“It’s not,” Enoshima mumbled, her arms folding again as she laid her head between them. “He was just really annoying. _And_ I wanted to see how you’d react. Y’know, for fun.”

Audacity, _audacity,_ _ audacity. _ “How exactly was he annoying to you? He barely interacted with you.” Enoshima sighed wistfully, closing her eyes as she feigned fatigue. “That’s the problem. He was so _boring_ and full of hope that it made me want to die.”

That was funny; as soon as he was done questioning her, he was going to kill her. So, in a way, she would get her wish. 

Which was not what Togami wanted to give, but it's what he wanted as well. 

“Man, it's all Makoto this and Makoto that with you. Don’t you want to know anything else? Or is he all you think about?”

“This discussion wouldn’t be happening right now had you not _killed_ him.”

“Okay, well, we could also be talking about The Tragedy, but instead you’re so caught up in your little romance tale that you’ve completely forgotten about it.”

She was deviating from the topic. He _knew_ that. It was a clear move away from giving Togami the clarity he deserved; the _answers_ he deserved. But she was right. He _did_ forget about whatever The Tragedy was in the midst of finding retribution for his lost love. “See? I knew it. I can see it on your face. You completely forgot.”

“Hilarious. You got me there. What an _astute_ observation,” Togami replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes as Enoshima antagonized him. “What is all this about a tragedy? Go on, since you’re so _eager_ to tell me.”

“Hm,” Enoshima hummed, tilting her head to the side impishly. “Nah. Why should _you_ get to be the only one to hear about it? Because you’re the former heir of the Togami Corporation?” The girl stuck out her tongue again, making a ‘bleh’ noise as she did so. “That’s just not fair.”

“...Former?” That statement… didn’t sound right. He wasn’t the _former_ heir to his family's company, he _was_ the heir. The use of that particular word didn’t sit well with him. “What exactly do you know?”

“Like I said,” Enoshima answered, kicking her feet in the air once more. “Nobody likes an info dump. The Tragedy didn’t just affect you, y’know. I don’t want to explain it twice.”

“Tell me what you know,” Togami ordered, once again digging his heel into Enoshima’s back. He made sure to make it _hurt_ this time. “What do you know about my family’s corporation?”

“I’ll tell you if everyone’s listening,” Enoshima pushed, insistent on having the other students present for the discussion. “Because I’m _not_ saying it twice.” Togami glared at her harder; there was little to _no_ way that he’d let Enoshima roam free again. The woman was a master at hiding, as she so clearly displayed while he was looking for her, so who knew where she’d run off to given the chance. Enoshima tilted her head back and gave him a knowing look. “I won’t go anywhere, I promise,” she stated, sounding bored. “ Pinky promise, even. Just straight to the Cafeteria so we can talk about it and stuff.”

Enoshima was, quite literally, the most untrustworthy individual on the entire ship. _But_ , Togami _was_ getting tired of standing above her and using her as some sort of footstool. So, he reluctantly took his foot off of her, and watched as she sprung up excitedly. “Awesome!” she started, putting her arms up to stretch. “The floor is _so_ uncomfy!”

“I can imagine,” Togami muttered, rolling his eyes again. He crossed his arms as he waited for Enoshima to finish her act. “Yeah! That feels good!” Enoshima continued, doing a variety of— what can only be labelled as warm-up— stretches in a sort of exercise-type manner. “It feels good to move!”

“Enough with your theatrics. Let’s go already.”

Enoshima’s arms suddenly dropped to her sides, and her face turned neutral again. “Fine,” she stated, subconsciously running her hands through one of her bushy pigtails. “I’ll be right behind you.”

“Absolutely not.” The nerve she had to suggest such a thing when Togami _knew_ she’d be able to escape if she weren’t in his immediate sight— How disgusting. “You’re walking in front of me.”

“Oh, boo,” Enoshima whined, putting her hands on her hips and strutting to the exit of Navigations. “Whatever you say, Togami.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gee, Bill! How come your mom let you eat TWO wieners?  
> No skins!


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suspense? What the fuck is suspense? Bitch I’ll kill you /j  
> UM So I was going to move this chapter down to like. Right before trial 6. But then I realized I pulled a Naegami Bible but instead of Monokuma announcing that [read the chapter first], it’s [read it. read the chapter].  
> In case you don’t know what the Naegami Bible is that I’m referencing, it’s “Affected” by Laurea. It’s one of my only two bookmarks and I highly recommend it  
> I read it over the summer and it’s Fantastic. My friend and I have a “book club” type thing every time a new chapters released  
> Anyway, suspense nonexistant help

Rolling around in space was… not fun, to say the least.

Naegi was unsure how long he had been idly floating around in the endless nothing that was space. There was nothing to see, nothing to do… just an overwhelming sense of _nothing_ that he was trapped in until his oxygen supply ran out.

Sure, there was the earth to his left and asteroids _mostly_ to his right— with some scattered around him here and there— but that was pretty much it.

It was rather scary at first; the weightlessness, the involuntary motions, the sight of the ship quickly fading from view, the sense of dread he felt at knowing he was going to _die_ … There was a lot to take in, and a lot he couldn’t do.

He wondered how Byakuya was taking his leave, considering how hard the boy had fought to defend him. There was also the consideration of how they barely had time to spend as an established couple like they did as just friends. 

He wasn’t taking it well, was he? Naegi could only guess, remembering how he was when Naegi was accused.

Wait… Hold on. There was still one more thing he could try to ensure his survival. He still had one last hope, a final lifeline, one that had been given to him with anticipation by someone else who’d been on his side the entire time. _Hit the map button twice. That’ll activate Alter Ego._

He was unsure if such a thing would work, given the fact that he hadn’t had a chance to test it before he’d been thrown out. But, he was _sure_ Fujisaki had to have tested it at least once. He _had_ to have tried it to make sure it worked, right?

Naegi took a breath before his hand slowly slid to the map button, clicking it twice in quick succession. A green rectangle formed on the glass of his helmet, and the words ‘Alter Ego’ appeared in bold, light green letters, before fading away to reveal Alter Ego itself. And there was that familiar voice he’d quickly become acquainted with. “Hello, Naegi!”

So it really worked. Naegi shouldn’t have been as surprised as he was, considering that its creator _was_ the Ultimate Programmer, but it was still astounding to see. Alter Ego moved its eyes, presumably looking around. Could it possibly see Naegi’s surroundings now? It would be a miracle if it could. 

Turns out, it _could_. Alter Ego expressed immediate concern, its eyes widening as it asked, “Why are you in space? What happened?” Naegi sighed, looking down solemnly. “I was ejected.”

“That’s horrible! I’m so sorry!” Naegi simply shrugged— which was an awkward gesture with his feeling of weightlessness— and replied, “It’s okay, I guess.” 

Alter Ego puffed out its cheeks, seemingly thinking about something. An ellipsis appeared next to its head to signify that that was the case. “What are you doing?” Naegi asked, arching an eyebrow as he observed the A.I. in front of him. An exclamation point appeared in place of the ellipsis, showing that Alter Ego was done thinking. “Please save your breath!” it said, now smiling. “I think I know a way to help you!”

Naegis eyes widened at the claim. How would Alter Ego be able to help him? It _was_ a complex A.I., sure, but was there any way to _save_ him? “After scanning your surroundings, I’ve determined a way to get you back down to Earth!”

… _What?!_ “How?!” Naegi exclaimed, shocked that there was a way for him to get down from space. It didn’t make sense; it was a miracle he’d even lasted this long, but now there was a way for him to _live_?! “Yeah! Please look to your right!” Naegi followed Alter Ego’s instructions.

To his right, a variety of asteroids were floating around, all going in separate directions. Though… A few were heading in the direction of Earth. He began to see Alter Ego’s thought process. “If you can find a way to attach yourself to one of those asteroids, I’m sure you’ll be able to get down to Earth again!”

That answers how he’d get down, but now… “How am I going to get onto one?”

Alter Ego puffed out its cheeks again, thinking of a possible solution. “That’s a tough question,” it commented. “I’m not too knowledgeable about space. Let me ask Master!”

...Ask Master? As in, _Fujisaki?_ “You can talk to him from here?” Naegi asked. So many things were happening at once, and each one was an even bigger surprise than the last. “Yeah!” Alter Ego smiled again, supposedly happy to talk about its maker. “Using the nearby satellites—“ Naegi couldn’t see any satellites, but he’ll take Alter Ego’s word for it. “—I can access the Communications board from the ship! Hold on a moment, let me try and contact him!” 

Alter Ego’s head disappeared, leaving only _Please wait…_ in its place. This was all so astonishing; breathtaking, even. Though, the latter seemed like a poor choice of words in this situation. He couldn’t believe the things that were transpiring in such little time.

It was giving him hope that he didn’t know he could still have.

“Hello, Master!” he heard Alter Ego greet, though he didn’t appear on the screen. “I need your help, please!” Would Fujisaki be able to hear Naegi? Would the two be able to speak to one another? Or was their connection only through Alter Ego? Question after Question ran through Naegi’s mind, the next coming before the last could be answered. “How do you move around in space?”

“Naegi?” _That_ wasn’t Alter Ego. Though the connection was crackly and his voice hardly came through, that was Fujisaki on the other end. Naegi never thought he’d be so relieved to hear his voice. “I’m still here!” he exclaimed, trying to be loud enough so Fujisaki could hear him. He might be able to anyway, but he just wanted to be sure. “You’re still alive!”

Though he couldn’t see Fujisaki’s face, he could hear the smile in his voice. “Are you doing okay out there? It’s not too bad, is it?”

“I mean, I’m afraid that I might _die_ ,” Naegi started, trying to lighten the mood further with a joke on his current situation. “But it’s been… Okay, I think.”

“At least you’re fine for now!” ...For now? What was that supposed to mean? “Oh, right! You need help to figure out how to move!”

“That’s right!” Alter Ego added. He still wasn’t on screen; perhaps he could only be on one at one time? That sounded like an unlikely claim, but it was still possible. “Please help Naegi and tell him what to do!”

“Okay, um…” Naegi could hear the clicks of a keyboard, fingers typing lightning fast. It was odd to hear but not see, but he trusted whatever Fujisaki was doing. “Okay! Through the property of inertia, an object would remain moving straight unless interrupted by something,” Fujisaki explained, clicking his mouth a couple times. At least, that’s what Naegi thought that sound he heard was. “So I think you should try moving towards an asteroid headed for Earth. See if you can do that!”

Okay, so… just move around towards it? How should he go about that?

Naegi tried kicking his feet, attempting to propel him to a large asteroid nearby. The motion seemed to be working; it was slow, but it was working nonetheless. “There you go!” Alter Ego exclaimed, it’s head appearing in front of Naegi once again. He wouldn’t lie, it was kind of blocking his view, but he wasn’t going to say that out loud. Alter Ego was practically its own person, he wouldn’t want to hurt its feelings. “You’re doing great!”

“Is it working?” Fujisaki asked. “Did I help?”

“Yeah!”

As Alter Ego and Fujisaki had a small conversation, that of which Naegi mentally blocked out in favour of concentration, he was making somewhat significant progress. He came closer and closer to the large rock, until he held his arms out to hold onto it. And then he was on top of an asteroid, holding for dear life, as it slowly but surely floated towards the Earth.

Alter Ego’s attention diverted to the area surrounding Naegi, and it looked elated. “You did it!” it said, a proud smile on its face. “You’ll be back down in no time!”

“Did he reach the asteroid?” Fujisaki asked. A couple syllables cut out, but Naegi could still hear what he had said. “He sure did!”

“I’m so happy!” Suddenly, he heard Fujisaki gasp. “Oh! We should probably save your oxygen!”

“Oh!” Every time the two said the same word, they sounded identical. Naegi would never get used to that. “That’s true! I’m sorry, Naegi, we’ve probably used a lot of your oxygen!” Alter Ego’s head disappeared, and _Please wait…_ popped up in its place. Maybe it was checking his oxygen tank. If that was the case, Naegi was lucky to have Alter Ego by his side to help him out with this stuff.

…Huh. Come to think of it, the fact that he’d survived this long and had a real chance of survival proved him to be quite lucky. Perhaps his title of ‘Ultimate Lucky Student’ was true; he may just be the luckiest person to ever live.

“It seems like you haven’t used much!” Alter Ego stated as it appeared back on the glass. “That’s good! You still have a good eight hours left on it. That should be more than enough time for you to get back down!”

Lucky he was, indeed.

“I should probably stop talking for now,” Fujisaki added. If Naegi were to guess, he was puffing his cheeks just like Alter Ego did when thinking. “Tell me when you’re out of space, okay? I’ll be right here in Communications if you need me!”

“I’ll be sure to do that,” Naegi said, a small smile cracking on his lips. The smile quickly dropped however, as he realized something important. “Wait, hold on!” he shouted. Shouting was quite unnecessary, but he didn’t want to lose Fujisaki before it was too late. “Can you do me a favour?”

“O-Oh, um, what is it?”

“Can you tell Byakuya that I’m okay?”

He’d been so caught up in trying to find a way to survive that letting everyone else know he was okay completely slipped his mind. That was pretty selfish of him; he wasn’t sure about the others, but he knew Byakuya must’ve been worried sick about him. “Tell him I’m okay! And—“ he sighed and looked down. He really, _really_ missed Byakuya. He only got to tell him once, but… “Tell him that I love him.”

It took a moment for Fujisaki to respond, but ultimately, he answered, “I’ll do it as fast as I can!” The smile was back on Naegi’s face, albeit it was rather small. “Thank you.” 

Fujisaki didn’t respond to that. He must’ve disconnected himself from whatever wavelength, or frequency, or _something_ there was for him to speak to him. “I’m sure he knows you love him,” Alter Ego said, his head taking up a majority of Naegi’s view. “And I’m sure he feels the same way!”

Well, Naegi knew that already. Byakuya had said as much right before Naegi was ejected. Alter Ego didn’t know that, though. Maybe, once he’s down to Earth, he’ll be able to tell him if he doesn’t forget. “While we’re waiting to go down, I’ll keep you company!”

That would be nice. Naegi didn’t like being alone in general, but it was downright _terrifying_ in outer space. “Here! Let me sing you a song!” Alter Ego giggled before humming a melody it began to make up, accompanied by various ‘La’ sounds. It was kind of odd, but it was comforting in its own strange way. 

It’ll be okay. _He’ll_ be okay. And, most importantly, he hoped _Byakuya_ would be okay too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nae nae before you get a whooping. You better hit the nae nae before you get a whooping.  
> Nae nae. Hurry up.
> 
> UM I’m aware a lot of this is probably illogical and could never happen in real life, but Danganronpa is wacky so. Wacky things can happen


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Yandere Dev voice* Actually I lied. This is the shortest chapter in the fic  
> UHHH So my time of multiple posts a day may be coming to an end soon. Contrary to popular belief, I never actually finished writing the fic. I just wanted to post it all before 2020 was over because I wanted my stats to be accurate. Oops  
> Don’t worry, though, I have like. One or two more to post before I stop, and I think they’re rather long, so it should tide y’all over until the chapters after those come out  
> Anyway yeah sorry for the short chapter

The trip to the Cafeteria was nothing short of agonizing.

Though the walk was always short, Enoshima somehow drew it out to the point that Togami thought he was never going to get there. She walked so _slowly_ yet her mouth moved so fast when she spoke. It was incredible… 

Incredibly _annoying_. 

“Enough of your blabber already,” Togami commanded as they left the hallway and made their way to the table in the centre. “Your voice brings such excruciating pain to my eardrums, it’s not even funny.”

“Get used to it, Babe!” Enoshima teased, trotting to the discussion table. The nickname she just called him made him want to tear his hair out. “You’re gonna have to hear it a lot!”

Enoshima sat on the table and crossed her legs, putting both of her hands on her raised knee. “Well? Press the button!” she said, her cutesy voice back again. 

Nails on a chalkboard. That’s what her entire being was.

Just as Togami reached over to press the big red button to call an emergency meeting, the two heard small footsteps rapidly approaching them. The person behind them seemed to be running. 

A moment later, Fujisaki emerged from the doorway to Administration, his eyes widened as he huffed and puffed. “Togami!” He called out, quickly advancing towards the two at the table. “Togami, I have a message for you!”

“A message?” he echoed, an eyebrow arching in confusion. “Who could possibly have a message for me?”

“It’s— It’s Naegi!” Fujisaki answered, putting a hand over his heart as he tried to steady his breathing. Seemed like he wasn’t the athletic type. But, this was a rather small ship, so he shouldn’t be so out of breath. He was probably weak. But— “Naegi?” 

That claim was quite possibly the worst joke Togami had ever heard in his life. The wound of losing Makoto was all too fresh, and saying such a thing was like pouring salt to make it _burn_. “That’s ridiculous. How gullible do you think I am?”

“N-No, I— I’m not trying to trick you or anything!” Fujisaki countered, furrowing his eyebrows in concern. He didn’t _seem_ like the type of person to cause mischief, but there were a lot of ways a person could deceive another. “It was really him! I-I talked to him!”

“Through what?” Togami wasn’t convinced. He _watched_ Makoto die, he _saw_ Makoto disappear, and he _knew_ there was no way he could return. “Alter Ego?”

“Yeah!”

“And how am I supposed to believe that the Makoto you spoke to _wasn’t_ just Alter Ego pretending to _be_ him?” Togami spat, now glaring daggers at the smaller boy standing before him. “I’m not interested in your sick jokes. Please do me a favour and remove yourself from my sight.”

“B-But—“

“You’re being too harsh,” Enoshima commented, tilting her upper body back as she looked up in exasperation. “He needs to be here anyway, let him stay.”

Right— They were in the Cafeteria to call a meeting. That was their whole purpose of being there to begin with. “Wait, but I’m not lying!” Fujisaki continued, a desperate attempt to get Togami to believe in his lie. “Naegi’s okay! He told me to tell you that he’s okay!”

“You’re nothing more than a mendacious imbecile!” Togami snapped, quick to turn and face Fujisaki. “He’s dead! Makoto is _dead_! There’s no possible way for him to still be alive! Be quiet and stop with your idiotic deceptions!”

Fujisaki was taken aback by the sudden outburst. “I-I—“ he stuttered, hunching over in fear as he began tearing up. “B-But I—“

“No _buts_!” Togami shouted, furious that Fujisaki would even bother to keep up his charade when Togami _clearly_ wasn’t having it. “He’s dead! None of— _Whatever_ this is is going to make me, or anyone who _actually_ cares about him, which I’m sure is _none_ of you, feel better! Just accept that he’s dead!” Togami turned around again and slammed his fist into the button on the table, causing the emergency meeting broadcast to play throughout the ship. “Now lets get this stupid meeting over with already!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two friends sitting in a tree  
> Yup  
> They might kiss  
> No  
> . They might,  
> No they won’t  
> .....Why’d you have to say that  
> You’re making this really awkward  
> I told my mom about you  
> Your mom—?


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate to tell you guys this, but this is the last finished chapter I got for the moment  
> It feels weird?? To finally be done editing and posting what I have after all this time but. We’re almost done! Pog!  
> And suspense can finally be enacted!  
> But if you want updates for how progress will be going, you can join my Discord server bc that’s where I’m most active. Link is [in my Linktree](http://linktr.ee/byakuyatogami)  
> I know it says “Raymond Discord Server,” but it’s not really about Raymond anymore. We just talk about random stuff oops

One by one, each remaining student entered the Cafeteria once more, each with a varying degree of confusion. It wasn’t too long before they had all gathered in their usual spots. 

Looking at them, _especially_ the ones who deemed Makoto guilty, left Togami fuming. He wanted _all_ of them to suffer the same fate _he_ did. They _all_ deserved to be executed, just as Makoto had been. The empty seat next to him wasn’t helping; it was disturbingly empty, as it was where Makoto _should’ve_ been.

But that wasn’t why they were there, and that wasn’t what Togami should think about for now. 

“I see we’re all present,” Kirigiri commented, her eyes darting to each student. “What happened this time?”

Enoshima faked a yawn, putting a delicate hand over her mouth as she did so. “Tell them, Togami,” she said, gesturing to the man in question. “Tell them why we’re here.”

“You do it,” he growled, narrowing his eyes at Enoshima. “ _You_ were so insistent on having everyone here.”

“Have you two formed an alliance of sorts?” Oogami asked, the question sounding like a genuine inquiry. It was hard to tell, but it seemed like it slightly confused her. 

However, that was a dumb question. The insinuation that Togami could _ever_ partner up with Enoshima was, quite frankly, disgusting. “Absolutely not. I wouldn’t _dream_ of working with someone like her.”

“I’m sure nobody is interested in your rivalry,” Kirigiri interjected, crossing her arms. “Enoshima, why are we here?”

“Ugh,” Enoshima groaned, propping her head on her hand. Her other hand absentmindedly drew invisible circles on the table. “This is so _boring._ We’re gonna talk about The Tragedy or whatever.”

“Do you know about it?” Asahina asked, tilting her head. “I thought the Alter Ego thing was the only thing that knew about it.” Enoshima shrugged and replied, “Yeah. It’s, like, really bad or whatever.”

“Get on with it already,” Togami spat, resisting the urge to strangle Enoshima again. He didn’t have the wire from Electrical on his person anymore, but he wouldn’t hesitate to use his bare hands. “You’re in a bad mood,” Asahina said, a mere comment on the current situation. Togami wasn’t going to give a response to that. “I-I mean, what with Naegi’s ejection and everything…” Fujisaki added, twiddling his thumbs nervously. “I’m not—“

“Quiet, you,” Togami ordered, his words directed at Fujisaki. “You have no right to speak of him.”

“Don’t be so mean!” Asahina said, defending Fujisaki. “He didn’t do anything to you!” Togami simply scoffed, not bothering to humour Asahina’s false statement with a response.

“Anyway—” Enoshima indirectly stopped the fight in its tracks, breaking through the argument. “—Let’s talk about The Tragedy or whatever.” She cleared her throat and clasped her hands together, said hands resting on the table. She put on an educative voice, almost as if she were some sort of teacher. “Let’s begin our lesson on the biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history. Now abbreviated as simply, ‘The Tragedy.’”

“Why does it have such a long name?” Asahina inquired, vocalizing the question on a majority of the students’ minds. Enoshima gave a disapproving look and clicked her tongue. “I’ll get to that,” she answered, her persona not changing. 

_The biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history is just as it sounds. It was an event that happened precisely one year ago that spread through the entire world, sending waves of despair to hundreds of millions of people. It caused chaos, disorder, disarray, and things like that._

“W-Wait, hold on,” Fujisaki interjected, raising a finger to garner attention. “This spread throughout the entire world? How would— How would that happen?”

“Simply put,” Enoshima began, her educative voice dropping to something more melancholy. “It was through the ideology of despair. It spreads pretty quickly. Kind of like a disease.” Enoshima’s hands combed through one of her pigtails slowly as she looked down solemnly. “This is boring. Explaining things is boring.”

“You just started,” Oogami said. “You haven’t told us much about The Tragedy. Please continue.” Enoshima loudly sighed, and suddenly her facade switched up again. Now she had her cutesy voice again. “Whatever you say!”

 _The Tragedy was orchestrated by a group called the Ultimate Despair! Their goal is to spread despair! They_ _are_ _despair! And they want to wreak anarchy throughout the entire world! And their group is run by—_

Enoshima stood up out of her seat and twirled, before stopping and posing. One leg bent up, one hand in a fist like a cat paw, and the other hand in a peace sign touching her forehead. And, for good measure, she winked. “Me and Mukuro!”

“I knew it!” Togami slammed his hands on the table, positively seething. “I knew she was the last imposter! I knew it, and none of you would believe me! You all believed _her_ , and now Makoto is dead—“

“Don’t interrupt me!” Enoshima shouted, repeating Togami’s motion and slamming her hands on the table. “That’s old news! Shut up!”

“I agree. That hardly matters now,” Kirigiri added, which caused Togami to give her a hard glare. “We need to learn more about this ‘Tragedy’.”

“Hardly m— You mean to tell me that you don’t care that you murdered an _innocent person_ —“

“Shut up!” Enoshima repeated, slamming her hand on the table again. She cleared her throat and smiled. “Anyway, he’s right! I’m not just the last imposter, I’m the mastermind!” As the students all gasped, Enoshima continued. “Yup! It’s all my doing! Isn’t that swell? It is! But I’ll get to that!”

“Why exactly did you do it, though?” Kirigiri asked, looking down as she processed the information given to her. “What do you gain out of all of this?” Enoshima shrugged, her sickly sweet smile still plastered on her face. “Entertainment!”

“Entertainment?! Is this some sort of joke?! You’ve been—“

“Playing with everyone's lives for fun?! Sure have been!” Enoshima cut Togami off and finished his sentence before he could go on another tirade. “Keep your mouth shut while I’m presenting!” Togami grumbled a variety of complaints before Enoshima continued. Enoshima cleared her throat once again, and suddenly she sounded like she was teaching again.

 _Now, back to where I was. The world was so full of hope, full of happiness. And that’s just plain boring. So Mukuro and I hatched a plan to change that. And it all started when we were scouted by Hope’s Peak Academy. I, the Ultimate Fashionista, and_ _her_ _, the Ultimate Soldier._

Enoshima sighed, her melancholy returning. _The first year doesn’t matter. It was boring, everyone was friends, and it was lame or… whatever._

“So it’s all true,” Oogami commented, bowing her head and closing our eyes. “We all attended Hope’s Peak.”

“Yeah…” Enoshima muttered, once again stroking her pigtails. “It’s so sad… You guys made such good memories, and now they’re all gone…” She sighed, and continued on. _Then, in our second year, The Tragedy happened. And the world plunged into chaos and despair. Almost the entire student body was wiped out, leaving few survivors._ The bubbly voice returned next. “And that was you guys! And, well, a few others too. But mostly you guys!”

“You’re so full of _shit_ ,” Togami muttered to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. This all sounded like a made up fairytale caused by some delusional high school girl. None of it seemed possible, and none of it made logical sense. “So, Headmaster Kirigiri came up with a plan to save the remaining students of Hope’s Peak! Aka, you!”

“Headmaster— Who?” Kirigiri asked, interrupting Enoshima’s speech. She seemed slightly alarmed that her last name came up in relation to the headmaster. “Oh! Did I not tell you guys?” Enoshima asked, tilting her head with wide, curious eyes. “Oopsies! Kirigiri’s dear old dad was the headmaster! And he’s the reason we’re all on this ship!”

“H-Hold on, you said ‘was’,” Fujisaki pointed out, his eyebrows furrowing in concern. “Do you mean he…”

“You’re so observant!” Enoshima complimented, propping her head on her hands. “I ejected him! Headmaster Kirigiri would _never_ allow a killing game, so I had to get rid of him! Now he’s somewhere in space, just like Maizono, Oowada, Celeste, and Naegi!”

The group fell silent, and they all looked to Kirigiri. Kirigiri’s emotions weren’t clearly visible, but one could still see hints of disbelief in her eyes. “Headmaster Kirigiri isn’t the only one who perished, though! Isn’t that right, Togami?”

“Naturally,” Togami started, glaring daggers at Enoshima as he grit his teeth. “Makoto fell victim to your sadistic game as well.”

“I don’t mean Naegi, silly!” Enoshima teased, winking and sticking out her tongue. “I mean the Togami Corporation!”

The Togami Corporation…? A sudden pang of anxiety rooted itself in Togami’s stomach, and he now gritted his teeth not out of anger, but of worry. “What did you do to them?” he demanded, though his act of authority fell flat as his voice wavered. Enoshima shrugged and smirked. “They’re all dead! The Togami Corporation is no more!” She sighed dramatically and placed the back of her hand against her forehead. “What a travesty! How can such a thing happen?”

“No— That can’t be!” First he lost Makoto, and now this woman was alleging that his entire family was _dead?!_ This couldn’t be happening. There was no possible way that the entire Togami lineage could be dead. “They can’t be gone! The Togami family is destined to rule the world!”

“Not anymore they’re not!” Enoshima stated, a teasing tone laced in her voice. “They’re all gone! Every last one of them!”

Togami felt like he couldn’t breathe. This couldn’t be happening. There was _no way_ this was happening. He’s losing everything he ever cared about in such little time, he… He put his head in his hands, and took a shaky breath. This didn’t feel real. _Nothing_ felt real. Something didn’t add up, he— He could barely think anymore. He could feel despair overtaking his senses, and he was unable to fight back.

They were gone. His family was gone. Dead. Never to be seen again. “Aw, look at him tremble,” Enoshima said, her eyes pinned to Togami. She examined every detail of his expression with a wild grin on her face. “You must’ve really cared about your family, huh? One could say that they were almost all you had!” Togami attempted to block out her words. He didn’t want to hear them anymore. He didn’t want to hear _anything_ anymore. 

Suddenly, Enoshima’s head snapped to Asahina, her grin not faltering. “Speaking of family,” she started, her stare piercing through Asahina’s soul. “Hey, Hina! Y’know your brother, Yuta? I’m sure you do!”

“Stop!” Asahina shouted, closing her eyes and covering her ears. Oogami put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. “I don’t want to hear it! I don’t want to hear what happened to him!”

“He didn’t _die_ or anything,” Enoshima said, waving her hand in dismissal. She snickered afterwards, adding, “That would be pretty funny though. Nah, he’s just trapped in Towa City.” Asahina’s eyes slowly blinked open, and she raised her head to look at Enoshima. A glimmer of hope shined in her eyes as she whispered, “Really? He’s okay?” 

That look of hope was sickening.

Enoshima shrugged and clicked her tongue. “Dunno. Anything could be happening down there. Who knows what could be going on.”

“No!” Asahina yelped, collapsing into Oogami as tears began to prick at her eyes. Oogami patted her back a couple times and offered words of reassurance. “I’m sure he’s okay, Hina,” she said, looking down at her friend sadly as Asahina’s hopes were quickly shattered. “The same can’t be said for the Oogami dojo, though,” Enoshima stated, propping her head in one hand and drawing invisible circles on the table with the other. “They got wiped out too.”

Oogami stopped in her tracks, paling at the claim. “What do you mean?” she asked, her eyes widening. “It means exactly what it means. _Your_ family is dead too.”

“That— That can’t be—“

“Yes it can. Like I said, The Tragedy destroyed the entire world. Nobody was spared from it. Well, except us.”

“What… _Are_ you?” Kirigiri questioned, her own face paling with despair. “To be able to carry out such a travesty… You’re some kind of… inhuman entity.”

“Aw, thank you!” Enoshima took that as some sort of twisted compliment. Seeing as she was, indeed, a twisted individual, that didn’t come as too much of a surprise. “It’s all for fun!” The blonde turned to Fujisaki, who quickly backed away as her gaze bore into his soul. “Fujisaki!” she called, bending over to stare down the smaller boy. “I-I don’t want to know either!” he stammered, trying to avoid the inevitable truth that would come from the girl beside him. “Wh-Whatever it is, I’m fine not knowing!”

“Are you sure?” Enoshima asked, feigning sadness at Fujisaki’s resistance. “You don’t want to know what happened to _your_ dad?”

“N-No! I’m sure he’s fine!” Fujisaki continued resisting, mirroring Asahina’s actions of closing his eyes and clamping his hands over his ears. “My dad is fine! He’s okay! Nothing bad is happening!”

“Saying that can only do so much,” Enoshima commented, now looking bored. “This discussion is so boring. But your faces sure aren’t!”

Looking around the table, the students were all in a state of despair. Learning that their loved ones, their friends, and the whole world was gone, had spiralled them all into a crippling hopelessness. None of them knew what to do.

And nothing made sense anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s ours! Back off  
> I’m the only one here with the technology to decode the files!  
> And we’re the only ones here with the files to be decoded!  
> And I’m— EHAHAH— I don’t know!


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey queen! Happy new year!  
> It seems that I had a particularly bad bout with depression this month. So is the life with Seasonal Affective Disorder  
> I’m sorry this chapter took so long. Like I said before, I’ve kind of been going through a huge slump as of late and it’s. Not going well for me. I hope this chapter is sufficient until I can manage to write the next one  
> I feel really bad about making you guys wait for this. I’m sorry  
> Oh also my birthday is February 6th so if you’re seeing this on my birthday then. Please wish me a happy birthday, everyone usually forgets

The world was destroyed. At least, that’s what Enoshima claimed.

Togami couldn’t wrap his head around that statement. It just _didn’t make sense_. How could one single high school girl cause the destruction of society as a whole? He couldn’t fathom it in the slightest.

If the things she’d previously stated as fact were true, she was responsible for countless murders, several cities— countries, even— falling, as well as many other travesties. It seemed impossible; but given the fact that they ended up on some spacecraft orbiting the planet, anything could be reality.

Now more than ever, he wished Makoto was there with him. That wasn’t to say that there were times he _didn’t_ wish that, but he couldn’t help but wonder what Makoto would do in such a situation, if he could manage to do anything at all. 

Makoto was always so hopeful for the future. He always thought things would work out in the end, and he never lost sight of what he believed in. In a way, Togami thought he knew just what he’d say.

_Don’t lose hope now! You can’t let this despair get to you! You can get through this!_

...Yes. That’s definitely something that he’d say without a doubt.

And those words broke through Togami’s mind, with a sudden clarity that allowed him to think and breathe. He can get through this. _They_ can get through this. And a newfound determination flooded through his veins as he looked straight at Enoshima with a piercing glare.

This is what Makoto would want him to do.

“What’s with that gross look on your face?” Enoshima asked, sneering at the loss of despair from Togami. “Stop that. It’s creeping me out.”

“I hope you weren’t thinking that I would fall into your trap,” Togami stated, studying Enoshima with watchful eyes. The way she operated was an enigma; so was her ability to manipulate others so easily. He was going to find a way to surpass it all, even if it would be the last thing he did. “It’ll take a lot more than _that_ to make me descend into despair.”

“...What?” Enoshima looked back at him, every previous guise of hers disappearing. She almost seemed shocked that Togami was resisting her forces. Key word being _almost_. “Come on, you can’t be serious. Your family’s dead, your boyfriend’s dead, the _world_ is dead, and you aren’t going to go into despair?” The girl sighed and rolled her eyes. “That’s so boring.”

“As are your blatant attempts to emotionally destroy me,” Togami countered, crossing his arms. “Now, I suggest we all vote you off and end these shenanigans.”

Suddenly, Enoshima’s face brightened up. “Oh, that’s right! We still need to vote!” She hummed loudly and rubbed her chin, making it look like she was deep in thought. She was probably doing that just for show; with the way this ‘game’ of hers played out, she probably planned every detail of this discussion beforehand. “It wouldn’t be fun if we just _voted_ , you already know it's me!” The tablets arose from inside the table, but the list of students didn’t appear. Instead, it was a choice between Togami and Enoshima. “Here’s an idea! Since you—“ she lazily pointed her finger towards the man across from her. “—Want to be Mr. Ultimate Hope or whatever, the voting will be different!”

“How so, exactly?” He could see that this odd battle was him against Enoshima, but different voting? Presumably new rules? Whatever this girl had in store wouldn’t be good. “Don’t you guys want to get off this ship? Go see the world for yourselves? I bet you do!”

Nobody responded to Enoshima’s teasing. They had been stunned by despair, left speechless and unresponsive. “The voting will be between me and Byakuya!”

“ _Togami_.”

“Whatever.” Enoshima haphazardly dismissed the correction and continued on. “If you vote for Togami, you all get to leave this ship! But…” Enoshima trailed off in an attempt to create drama, pausing for a moment before continuing on with her spiel. “You have to leave as soon as you can, okay? You won’t be able to last long without me!”

“What do you mean by _that_?”

“Oh, y’know…” Enoshima’s innocent smile quickly turned into a devilish grin. “The oxygen filter is connected to me. If I were to die, it would completely shut off.” She giggled and put her hands in her lap. “Well, after about nine hours, it would. So, y’know! Choose wisely!”

“That’s utterly ridiculous. What makes you think I’d believe such a claim?” Enoshima hummed again as her eyes rolled up so she looked at the ceiling. “I don’t know! You’d just have to trust me!” Togami scoffed at this, but didn’t give a response.

“But, if you vote for me, you get to stay on the ship! And we get to live happily ever after! You spend the rest of your lives here, safe from The Tragedy forever!”

An enticing offer, Togami had to admit. While they hadn’t seen the true damage The Tragedy had done firsthand— that they could remember, that is— it could prove to be dangerous. But then again, if they were to choose the option of remaining on the ship, they would be siding with the enemy.

They would be siding with the mastermind. The mastermind who killed Makoto for _fun_.

“Oh, and also if even _one_ of you votes for me, Togami dies. He dies and we all stay on this ship!”

“That’s absurd,” Togami started, glaring at Enoshima. “Majority vote calls for the preponderance to be carried out.”

“It’s a rule change!” Enoshima winked at him, leaving him with the urge to vomit. She was a rather repulsive human, treating everyone’s lives like they were playthings. It was _nauseating._

However, while Enoshima’s antics were one problem, the unresponsive natures of the other students were rather alarming. Nobody had said a word, most not even batting an eye to the conversation taking place. There was only one look on their faces that remained stagnant and unchanging.

Despair.

Togami had to act fast if he wanted to ensure his survival. No matter how much he hated his classmates, he _had_ to restore the hope they previously had. Their weakness had not gone unnoticed, that much was true, but he had to pull them up and make them stronger.

“Maybe… Staying here wouldn’t be so bad,” Asahina muttered, though the quiet air amplified her voice. “At least we know we’re safe or something.”

“Furthermore, there is nothing left for us,” Oogami added, backing up Asahina’s statement with a grim tone of voice. “And the world is gone…” Fujisaki stated, being the last of the group to speak out. He didn’t add anything else, and everyone let the words hang in the tense air.

Everyone except Togami, of course.

“Do you all _really_ believe her?” he asked, skepticism clear in his speech. “After all of the lies she’s spouted out, you’re choosing to go along with it? How pathetic.” He let out a begrudged sigh and crossed his arms. “How can we be sure any of this is real? For all we know, such a tall tale could be completely fictional, made only to spread despair to all of us.”

“You know me so well, Toga,” Enoshima commented, looking at Togami with a fond smile and affectionate eyes. “How many times must I correct you, Woman? It’s _Togami_ to you.” Enoshima disregarded the correction and let out a simple hum, still staring at Togami with the same expression on her face.

Togami, choosing to ignore her, cleared his throat and continued with his semi-motivational speech. He was never the best at these, but he had it in him to try. “Let’s say, hypothetically, the world is truly destroyed. Millions of people _are_ dead, and there's chaos through the force of despair. And, for the sake of debate, let’s say there’s even an apocalypse. You’d assume there is nothing left, and everything you care about has disappeared. Your homes have been destroyed, and your family and friends are deceased.”

“And there are billions of people who are fans of me! There’s now a statue of me in the middle of Tokyo!” Enoshima added, putting her hands on her hips with a playful look on her face. “The people shout in the streets, ‘We love Enoshima! Enoshima is our god!’”

“Be quiet,” Togami ordered, shutting down Enoshima’s interruption before it could progress. The girl gave him a wink and stuck out her tongue; such a display made his skin crawl. “You would assume that in this post-apocalyptic world, there would be no hope for you, yes? This statement is simply not true. So long as you live and do not succumb to despair, you have the ability to rebuild the world. All hope is not lost as long as it lives inside a single— or, in this case, multiple— people.”

“Yeah! Good speech!” Enoshima clapped her hands in delight, giggling with a smile. Though, if one looked closer, a glint of condescension was in her eyes. “It was, like, _so_ inspiring.”

“...He does have a point though.”

Out of the silent students, Asahina was first to break. Her gaze hesitantly left the table as she looked up in thought. 

A rare occurrence it was, for Asahina to use her brain, but insults were not to be said out loud at the current moment. Togami chose to keep the remark to himself.

“Even if the world’s gone, we’re still here. Which means…” She paused for a moment, thinking of how to end her thought. A newfound light of hope, and determination, flooded her features as she finished. “Which means that once we get down to Earth, we can make it okay again! Right, Sakura!?” Asahina grabbed ahold of Oogami’s arm, lightly shaking it as she addressed her friend. 

Oogami’s stare was darkened by her despair, but as she looked at Asahina, the darkness slowly faded. “Hina,” she murmured, staring back at the other girl. Asahina’s hope seemed to be infectious; Oogami looked to be back to normal with just a simple glance at her. “While my family may be gone, I still remain. All has not been lost.” She didn’t look at anyone in particular as she too was filled with determination. “I have come to a decision.”

Togami’s speech was working well so far. If he could manage to pull the rest of the group out of their anguish, he may be able to defeat Enoshima and get rid of her once and for all.

Enoshima, on the other hand, didn’t seem amused at this sudden development. Two people had just been taken from her side, and that _displeased_ her.

Good. Let her anger fester and boil.

“You two,” Togami spoke, his gaze switching to his other two classmates. Neither Fujisaki nor Kirigiri met his eyes. “What’s your problem?”

“Their problem is—“ Enoshima rolled her eyes as she spoke, resting her head on her propped up hand. “—They realize how _dire_ the situation is down there. Unlike _you_ apparently.”

“I-It’s not that…” Fujisaki stated quietly, his eyes fixated on the table. He looked to be void of emotion. “It’s just… If she’s— If she’s right, then…”

“She’s not,” Togami cut off the smaller boy before his sentence could be finished. “You will never know unless you leave this ship.”

“B-But… What if my parents are actually—“

“You won’t know _unless you leave_.” 

This was beginning to sound repetitive, but it wasn’t a difficult concept to grasp. “Enoshima is a proven liar. She lied about killing Ikusaba and she lied about killing Ishimaru. She’s most likely lying about _this_ as well.”

“What if she’s not, though?”

“If she’s not, then we just gotta do what Togami said! We can rebuild the world!” Asahina affirmed, an attempt to bring encouragement to Fujisaki and, by extension, the group. “It’s gonna be okay! ...Probably.”

Fujisaki looked up at Asahina as the girl finished her statement, hesitance and anxiety painted on his features. His gaze shifted between his crew mates, and he let out a shaky breath. “You’re right,” he said softly, a small smile creeping up on his face. “Maybe it _will_ be okay.”

“That’s the spirit!” 

Right, then; one more left.

Togami’s eyes peered to Kirigiri, the final student still stuck in Despair. He scowled at the sight of the lavender-haired girl. Looking at her, one of the ones responsible for Makoto’s demise, was sickening. She was a repugnant woman who deserved no mercy, and the last thing Togami wanted to do was help her.

But his life was on the line. Furthermore, so was Enoshima’s survival. Keeping the former was the much more favourable option.

“Kirigiri,” Togami started, attempting to stifle his hatred for her. “Surely there’s _some_ semblance of a working brain within you. Do you not see the severity of this situation?”

Just like the others when stuck in her state, her eyes did not meet his. “Of course I do,” she muttered lowly, staring intensely at the floor. “And I know the choice that has to be made.”

“Which is?”

“We need to stay here.”

Of course. Of _course_ she’d side with Enoshima, just as she did in the last debate. Togami expected nothing else from her. “You cannot be serious, right?” Togami’s disbelief was hardly hidden at this point. “You’re even dumber than I thought.”

“Staying would be the safer option. You know that just as well as I do.”

“Even so, I refuse to give Enoshima what she wants. She’s the reason _any_ of this has happened, and yet you _still_ decide to work in her favour. How deplorable.”

“If I may interject, fighting is the last thing that should be happening,” Oogami stated, breaking up the argument. She looked towards Kirigiri and continued with, “Kirigiri, we have lost many things while on this spaceship. Many of those were people we knew. Our friends whom we cherished. Had it not been for Enoshima, they would still be here.”

“You guys give me too much credit,” Enoshima said, waving her hand as a humble smile crossed her face. “Mukuro was in on it too.”

Everyone decided to ignore Enoshima. “Y’know, weren’t you and Celeste kinda close?” Asahina asked Kirigiri, tilting her head. “What do you think she’d do?”

“Don’t bring her into this,” Kirigiri mumbled. It sounded like she was slightly irritated. Togami picked up on that immediately, understanding the insinuation being given. “Let me guess, Celeste was more than just your partner. Is that what we’re getting at here?” He let out a bitter chuckle and crossed his arms. “She’s _your_ significant other, isn’t she?”

Togami shook his head; this entire debacle was ridiculous. “To think we have something so despondent in common, yet you choose to ignore everything in favour of yourself. You choose to ignore the possible answers _she_ would’ve given. She would be ashamed of you if she could see your actions here.”

“U-Um— In nicer terms, I think he’s trying to say that Celeste would want you to make the right choice,” Fujisaki said, interrupting Togami’s rant. “She would, um… Uh…”

“She would want you to stop the mastermind!” Asahina finished Fujisaki’s statement, the latter boy giving a sigh of relief. “Yeah.”

Finally, Kirigiri’s head slowly picked itself up. Her expression showed no clear emotion, but she seemed to have made up her mind. “Fine, then,” she said, back to her usual monotonous self. “Perhaps leaving _would_ be the better option.”

Enoshima groaned, folding her body so her torso lay on the table. “Ugh! This is so boring,” she whined, tilting her head so her cheek rested on the cold aluminum. “Can we vote already? Let’s vote already.”

“We shall.” As Togami stared down at his tablet and lifted his finger to vote, Enoshima loudly called his name. “Togami! You can’t vote, that’s unfair!”

“Why give me the option to vote if you would refrain me from doing so anyway?”

“Because! I want you to see the results! You just can’t vote.”

How asinine. She just made up rules whenever she wanted to, didn’t she? Nevertheless, Togami didn’t want to push his luck. He abstained from voting, instead being forced to listen to the nerve wracking dings of the others' confirmations.

After the final vote was cast, each icon was displayed under their voter’s choice. As it turns out, there was a unanimous decision.

They had all chosen to side with Togami.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What’s up, can a ketchup boy come up in your crib?  
> Man, lay off, I’ll see you at work  
> Buddy, don’t hate me ‘cuz I’m beautiful, Chum. Maybe if you got rid of that kindergarten-ass getup, you’d get some bitches on your dick. Oh, better yet, maybe Undyne will call your bone-ass if she’ll ever stop fucking with that lab scientist or skeleton she fucking with.  
> Big bro;)  
> ...  
> What


End file.
